The Wings
by Silence In Winter
Summary: The angel who has never loved, the psychology student who just might, and the boy who was born to die. After researching the angel for over a year, Jack begins to feel a growing attachment to the woman. His attractions are met with devastating consequences that play him into the hands of fate. [Jelsa]
1. Chapter 1

The Wings

Chapter 1

"Don't worry, we sanitize it." Hiccup assured Jack. "They will be clean of your sticky fingerprints before she eats off of them."

"That wasn't what I was worried about." Jack responded, distractedly tilting the stainless steel dinner ware to the side. "I mean, who says she can even get sick?"

"Who says she can't?"

"Well, she hasn't eaten anything in a year and she hasn't died yet, right?"

"Yeah, but it's all protocol, Jack. I know it's not really your job to care, but it's kind of mine. Here," Hiccup took a psychological evaluation form from a bin in his desk, attached it to a clipboard, and slapped Jack in the ribs with it. "Go and start with her I'll come in at the tail."

Jack took the form and pulled a pen from behind his ear as he walked down the hall and to the observation facility. Most of the building was vanilla-style offices with plastic plants and the scent of old carpet, but attached to the end was a massive steel door that was electronically locked. Absentmindedly he punched in the code. There was a metallic click as the gables of the locks released and the door rolled back. A recorded voice advised him that he was entering a restricted area.

On the other side of the door the halls were paneled with sheets of clean white metal. To his left was an office buzzing quietly with a swarm of other doctors and graduate students in white coats. Reaching into the pocket of his own lab coat, he pulled out his own identification lanyard and hung it around his neck, the purple and gold colors of the University of Washington grouped him the majority of other doctors at the facility.

The tiles beneath his feet were the same white as the walls, devoid of any dirt and kept immaculately clean. He waved a greeting to Tooth, the glass-wearing hyper nerd who always dressed as colorfully as she could when she wasn't in the lab. She blushed and pushed her glasses up on her nose as she returned the gesture.

At the end of the long hall was another door, this one not locked but a warning clearly printed in red on a white back.

You are entering a noise controlled environment. Please be mindful.

Jack didn't even glance at the sign as he stepped through the threshold.

The room he entered was very bare of anything including furniture. There was a white board on the far corner with a variety of colored dry erase markers and a single metal chair. Three of the walls of this room were padded to control acoustics. The fourth wall was insulated glass that looked in on the neighboring room.

This room had furnishing but in the same wedding white as the rest of the lab. There was a simple desk with a comfortable chair and a looking glass in the far corner. Adjacent was a sofa and sitting chairs with reading materials on a simple coffee table. In the very center of the room was a bed dressed in crisp cotton. She was sitting at the foot of that bed, her legs crossed her arms at her sides.

She didn't look at him. She rarely looked at him as if he was scarcely worthy of her attention. But when she did, her crystal blue eyes cut through him like a hot knife. Today her wings splayed to the sides so he could see almost their full span, the soft feathers that were rimmed with a delicate pink apple blush were gorgeous and unlike any other wing he had seen on earth. Her hair, the color of spun silver was free at her shoulders and obscured her supple cheeks. The dress she wore never failed to halt his breath. A glorious thing in and of itself, the movement made him think of silk, but the shimmer that came off of the material was ethereal. Her easy grace and beauty made Jack guilty morning after morning that the majority of the time he wore the same shirt he slept in.

"Well, good morning."

No response. He looked at his clipboard and noted her silence in the box provided for their exchange. He had many filing cabinets of reports saying the exact same thing that this report surely would; that she refused to speak.

"Did you sleep well?"

She blinked. Well, that was something. He marked it on the paper. Hiccup and the other medical students had performed a full physical on her when she first arrived and determined she did indeed have vocal cords, but it was completely possible that her race didn't communicate using verbal language.

He pondered for a moment if he could write his thesis on the language of blinking. Possible, but a headache that wasn't worth the grade.

"I'm sure you are familiar with me by now, my name is Jack." He said, the same practiced words he said five days a week to her. "If you have a name, I would like to learn it. If not, I would like to find something we can call you."

Silence still and long.

Jack continued to try and strike up conversation for another hour. All of the words he spoke were things he pulled from an approved list that was now engraved in his memory. None of them ever evoked a response from her and he didn't expect today to be any different.

After a full hour of painfully one-sided conversation, the watch around Jack's wrist began to beep. He turned off the alarm and checked the time. "Well," He said. "We have had a lovely talk today, but our time has ended today."

He stood to go. From the beginning to the end she had barely moved. She was still sitting on the edge of the bed looking in the same direction but now her legs were uncrossed, her hands folded neatly in her lap.

"Uh, look," Jack said. "I'm really not supposed to say this since there are people watching, but all I want is to understand who you are and how we, I mean I, can help you. I hate writing these reports that say we cannot intelligently communicate with you because I can see in your eyes that you hear everything I say and you understand but you willingly do not respond. I don't know why that is, but I want to know and I want to help you, and that begins with a name if you have one."

As he talked, she had slowly turned her head so that her eyes came to rest directly on him. Her supple red lips were soft and straight, her skin blushed like a rose. She raised a hand and touched the glass that separated them with one pale finger. Tendrils of ice blossomed from her fingertip, dancing across the glass to write a word in delicate calligraphy.

Elsa.

* * *

 **A/N:** **Hooray for side projects! This is an idea I have been toying with forever but never like the beginning. This was just a quick project but I would love any feedback and comments you guys have. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

The Wings

Chapter 2

"Jane, Frost, it's been one week." He drummed his chipped fingernails on the oak desk as he stared out the window at the quad. "I don't understand why you haven't gotten anything from her."

"Mr. Black," Jack said. "Her communication with me was a fluke. All I know is that I had to break the script to get her to speak."

"Are you saying my work isn't adequate?"

"Oh no!" Professor Jane hurriedly swept in to Jack's aid. "My student meant no disrespect, sir. He merely is saying he tried something a little unorthodox that nobody could have predicted and it worked."

"Yeah," Jack added. "I treated her as I thought I would want to be treated in her shoes and it worked."

Pitch turned to face them. He was taller than them both and dressed in his typical black suit with a tie that matched the yellow of his teeth. His smile was as absent as Elsa's, but her stoic expression was much more palatable.

"We thought of that, Jack. We thought, what would we do if we treated her like a human? But you see, she's not human. She's something else and she's potentially dangerous. You and Professor Jane won't shut up about how she communicated with you as though you area golden child, but you know what I see?"

"Uh, what do you see?"

"She froze the air around her. She can control elements to some degree. Meaning, we have to insulate her chamber which means money to keep her from escaping and hurting someone because if she did, we would be financially responsible."

"I left Oxford for this." Jane said. "Oxford University, as in England, Mr. Black! Is the bottom line all you see? It's been a year and her behavior is top notch, I say!" Jane's hands were on her hips as she spoke, brown hair tumbling out of her messy bun with every other word.

"Yes, she hasn't tried to hurt anyone yet, but that is a big liability I'm not willing to take."

"I don't think she's violent, sir." Jack respectfully interceded. "And with all due respect, we didn't get very far with your PR team's method. Can I please just try to talk to her without the pressure of the old script?"

Pitch folded his hands together. Standing before him was this pitiful graduate student, silvered hair flying disaster from lack of concern. His lab coat was splotched with coffee stains and possibly ketchup or pizza sauce. Underneath he was wearing cargo shorts and flip flops with a faded graphic tee. In his hands Jack clutched a fat manila folder with papers sticking out of both ends. Jane at least looked as though she had showered recently, but her makeup was scarce, especially around the eyes and he could see the orange mask of her foundation. This morning she had only tucked her chambray shirt halfway into her pencil skirt which gave her an almost masculine appearance. She had yet to discover that the pen tucked into her lab coat pocket was not a legal black pen, but a scented strawberry marker from her daughter's collection.

"You two really are dedicated to communicating with her, aren't you?"

Jack nodded. "More than anything."

"If you can't even comprehend the bill of her potentially destructive abilities I gander you aren't in it for a quick penny." Bypassing Professor Jane, he turned directly to her student. "Jack, what do you gain from communicating with our angel, our Elsa?"

He scratched the back of his head. "Well, sir, wouldn't you want to be the first person to hear the voice of an angel?"

Pitch smiled. "You are so perfect, Jack Frost."

* * *

"Good morning, Elsa." Jack said as he slid into the chair in front of her room. Today, she turned her eyes on him. Clear and blue like a perfect sapphire, they cut through his skin to find his soul. She could sense the change like a turn of seasons.

"I have good news." He held up the clipboard, pulled off the standard script and waded it into a ball. "No more of this."

No response, but her pupils followed the paper as he tossed it into the waste basket.

"Aren't you happy? I would be, I mean, I am. I can just talk to you like we are. We can talk about—" As he spoke Elsa's eyes began to drift away from him.

"Wait—" Jack leaped out of his chair so fast it crashed to the floor with a loud bang. It made her look but her lips were pursed with annoyance.

"Uh, wait just a second!" Jack ran to the white board and grabbed a red dry erase pen. He came back to the glass and uncapped the pen, holding it up for Elsa to see, who stared quizzically. Jack put the pen to the glass and began to write, but realized it had to be backwards for Elsa to be able to read it and wiped it away with his sleeve before starting again, this time in the proper direction.

 _Hi Elsa!_

The dot on the exclamation point was a smiley face. Elsa stared at the words then shifted her eyes to Jack. Her wings shifted silently, the feathers moving in a symbiotic rhythm that Jack could only compare to a dance. Her quiet beauty was like a soft kiss; he wanted to enjoy it slowly.

Jack began writing underneath his first sentence.

 _Is it better for me to write?_

That was the first time she stole his breath. Her rouge lips turned up and she smiled for the first time. It was at that moment that she suddenly seemed so human and present to him.

Elsa touched the glass with her finger, ice laced across the surface of the glass.

 _It's easier._

Jack nodded. _Okay._ Then he added, _Can I ask why?_

Elsa frowned. _I'm scared._

"What, to talk? Why?" He said aghast. She looked as though he had slapped her.

 _Oh, I'm sorry._

She was already turning away from him.

"Wait! Wait! Elsa come back!" He started tapping on the glass. "Let's talk, please!" When she didn't respond he began writing frivolously.

 _Come back! I'm sorry! I didn't know!_

* * *

"Trouble in paradise?" Hiccup asked.

"Har har." Jack was non-plussed at his friend's cheap shot. "Can you just give it to her?"

"Yeah, but it has to be sterilized first and—"

"Oh my gosh do your magic and make sure its on her tray please? I don't need your doctor speak." Jack said as he handed Hiccup the white rose he was holding. It was a match for Elsa's wings, white as snow with tips the light pink of cherry blossoms. Around the stem he had wrapped a piece of masking tape on which he wrote, _Sorry! :(_

Hiccup eyed Jack. "You're really as unorthodox as they say, aren't you?"

"Hey, when you get an angel to speak to you, then we'll talk."

"Last time I checked, she hasn't actually spoken to you either."

"Oh, burn, Jack!" Astrid said as she punched Jack in the arm.

"Ow!" He rubbed the spot she had tenderized. "I think you're all just jealous."

Astrid, who was pouring herself a cup of coffee at the communal machine, turned around and winked at Jack as she took a sip. "Maybe a lot." She then saw the rose in in Hiccup's hand.

"Oh, baby, is that for me?"

"This? Oh, uh—" Hiccup glanced at Jack who narrowed his eyes.

"Well, yeah, I mean, it is." Hiccup awkwardy extended it towards Astrid.

"Aww, thanks, Hic!" She took the rose and pecked his cheek on her way out. She only got as far as the door before she stopped cold. "Wait, sorry? Sorry for what, Hiccup?"

"Uhhh—"

"Wait, did you drink my Yuengling?"

Jack had only just slipped wordlessly out of the room when he heard Astrid scream, "You can't _get_ that beer on the west coast, you asshole!"

Edging out of the social studies building, Jack stepped out into the fresh September air. The brick paths were dotted with small puddles of water left over from last nights rain. The campus was speckled with freshmen donning the gold and purple of UW and returning students who mostly sported sweats and yoga pants at this early hour. Next to the library was the newly constructed Mercury's Coffee yurt, which already had an outstanding line that Jack seamlessly merged into. Few things garnered his respect but a decent cup of coffee was surely one of them. He pulled out his phone to fiddle when he heard his name.

"Hi, Jack."

He looked up to see the doe-like green eyes of Zel.

"Hey, Zel, how are you?" Her full name was something long and Germanic that Jack only vaguely remembered, was it Rapunzel? Her massive volume of hair was braided intricately today with a paintbrush tucked behind her left ear. Under a leather motto jacket she wore a pink boho shirt and tight, paint-speckled jeans that accented the curves of her body.

She smiled like a sunflower at his recognition. "Oh, I'm so good! I went home for summer but it's good to be back in Seattle. I mean, the art here is as endless as the rain. My fingers get so itchy if I'm not creating, you know?"

"It's cute how into art you are. Remind me what your major is again?"

She giggled. "Jack, you couldn't possibly forget that. I'm almost done with my art degree. But tell me, how are you? I heard about the break through with the angel! I mean, Elsa is her name, right?"

"Oh, yeah!" Jack became animated. "It's great! I'm not really supposed to say anything but you won't tell anyone, right?"

Zel edged a little closer, her eyes wide with anticipation. "Of course not!"

"Good, because I'm dying to tell someone who isn't a stuffy scientist. Well, we're starting to have back and forth communication. She has human intelligence and she seems to have emotions, just like us. It's incredible, Zel!"

"Next!" The barista called, wrapping the counter with his knuckles. He was some meat head jock from the football team with biceps bigger than a baby. He wore a blue sweatband around his shaggy red hair like he had just walked out of the 80's but somehow girls still fawned over him.

"I'll take a grande vanilla latte." Jack turned to Zel. "What do you want?"

"Oh, uh, Jack you don't have to buy me coffee."

"I don't have to but I want to. What would you like?"

"Um, how about a raspberry latte with whipped cream?" Zel said. Jack paid for their coffees and they stepped to the side as the barista began making their drinks.

"Thank you for the coffee."

"You're welcome." They stood there not speaking; standing as casually as two strangers in the nude would.

"So do you—"

"It's really good—"

They both started speaking at once and simultaneously blushed, turning away from each other.

"Vanilla latte and raspberry latte with whipped cream!"

Jack picked up their coffees from the counter and handed Zel hers.

"Thank you again from my coffee." She said, spooning out a dollop of whipped cream with a straw to lick.

"Oh yeah, no worries." He replied with a smirk.

"Hey, Jack?" Suddenly Zel's eyes were focused on her drink, a flush not brought on by the cool air coloring her cheeks.

"Does this mean..."

"Does this mean what?"

"That you... that you maybe want to try again?" Zel said the last four words so quickly they ran together.

"Oh, man."

"Sorry, I don't know why I said that."

"No, it's okay. Just, a lot has changed." Jack inhaled deeply, letting it go in a puff. "But it was really good seeing you today."

At that little word she was like sunshine. "Oh yeah?"

Jack tapped his paper cup against hers in a cheers. "It was good to see you, Zel. I'll see you around, okay?"

* * *

 **A/N: Wow! Thank you guys so much for all of your ah-mazing reviews! Shout out to Shteven27 for the song recommendation, A Team by Ed Sheeran. I hadn't heard it before but definitely listened to it while I was writing this chapter. If any of you have any more song suggestions please let me know. I can always use new music for my writing playlist. :) P.S. The Backstreet Boys also played their part. -cough-  
**


	3. Chapter 3

The Wings

Chapter 3

"How do butterflies say hello?" Sitting on her pale index finger was a butterfly with wings as intensely blue as her eyes. Jack had never seen her silvered hair braided before, but it looked lovely resting casually over her shoulder. The gray t-shirt she wore was easy and flattering to her hourglass figure. Jack had his head in her lap/ He was looking up at her as she entertained her new friend.

"I don't know." He said, the summer sun on his face making him lazy. His eyelids flickered for a moment before drifting shut.

Elsa smiled and gently placed the butterfly on Jack's nose.

"Hey!" He sat up quickly, startling the butterfly just as much as it had startled him.

Fluttering silently away, it left in its wake sparkling dust as it floated towards the cloudless day. He felt Elsa's hand rest lightly on his shoulder. When he looked at her, she was smiling. It was a soft and earnest smile that begged for more. He put his right arm around her shoulder and pulled her close so that she could learn into him.

"I trust you, Jack."

She was close enough that he could feel the gentle rhythm of her heart. Warm and delicate, when her skin brushed his own he felt too hot. The sweet smell of plumeria blossoms drifted from her hair when the wind tousled it. Jack laced his right hand into her hair and turned towards her, burying his face in the soft place behind her ear. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Instead of plumeria he smelled must. When he reached for her with his other hand, he felt itchy dry cloth. Jack rolled over and opened his eyes again.

Quite alone and underneath the old blanket he had pilfered from his mother's house freshmen year, he was huddled on one half of his bed while unfolded clean clothes dominated the other end. He sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"Damn."

* * *

The rose was in her lap, the masking tape tag still attached. Her hands were folded neatly over the stem. Posture straight and practiced, her wings were folded elegantly against her shoulder blades.

When Jack entered the room, she met his eyes for just a moment before coyly turning away. He smiled on impulse, the sensation her gaze had given him could be compared to the moment when a half-drunk girl gave him her number at a bar but he didn't want that. She wasn't a quick pleasure captured over beer and loose judgement, but something beautiful that had captivated his imagination so thoroughly that his dreams were borderline inappropriate.

She touched the glass with her fingertips.

 _Good morning, Jack._

He pulled the red pen from his lab coat pocket.

 _Good morning Elsa. How are you today?_

Instead of writing back, Elsa lifted the rose to her face and let the petals brush her full red lips.

Jack smile turned into a wide grin. _Am I forgiven?_

 _Yes._

Jack was about to write something else when she put her fingers to the glass again. _No one has ever brought me flowers before._

He cocked one eyebrow. _I'm glad I could be the first_.

She looked down at her lap and her wings lifted from her back, coming to her sides and resting over her shoulders like a cloak. For a moment Jack thought he had offended her and she was withdrawing until he saw the rosy tint to her cheeks that had not been there a moment ago.

 _Are you blu—_

Jack began to write but as soon as she started to look he rapidly erased the words with his sleeve. The student in him wanted to know if she was, in fact, blushing and capable of such a human function, but his humanity; masculinity wanted to believe she was blushing because of what he made her feel.

 _So you like flowers._

She nodded.

 _What else do you like?_

Elsa lifted her head, any trace of pink to her cheeks had vanished. She touched the glass with a flat palm, letting her fingers spread wide.

 _My freedom_.

Jack opened his mouth as if to apologize but the words were stuck behind pride and fear. Like a dark flower questions began to bloom inside of his insecurities. These were not the kind of questions he could write on a clipboard and file with Professor Jane and Mr. Black. These were selfish questions. Did she blame him for her captivity? Was he playing a part in extending her stay here? If he stopped communicating with her, would they let her go? Did he want her to go? Could he let her go?

He lifted the pen to write a standard apology but Elsa had already written something else.

 _With their noses._

Jack stared at the words for a moment, not quite sure what she meant.

 _What?_

Elsa's eyes found his again. It felt uncomfortably familiar. He closed his eyes, breaking their gaze. He let himself remember the scent of the plumeria blossoms, the way he had imagined her skin would feel against his. When Jack looked back at what she had written, the words were gone, replaced with the picture of a butterfly painted with ice.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Hiccup asked, holding the door open for Jack and Astrid.

"Hiccup's buying." Astrid said. "Especially after making me think that rose was for me _and_ drinking my Yuengling."

Jack forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm just kind of tired."

"You've been a recluse all day." Hiccup replied. "It's just dinner. You look like you could unwind a little."

All day he had managed to dodge his friends. If Jack were feeling a little bit more stable he would have appreciated their concern but quite frankly he needed time to process what had transpired this afternoon.

"Yeah, I'm good. I'm just going to go home and go to bed."

"Wow, eight o'clock and off to bed. Remind me to congratulate you on turning 75, old man."

"Oh, haha. Go get Astrid something classy tonight, okay? And for goodness sake get her a damn beer already."

Astrid laughed and took Hiccup's arm. "Okay, goodnight Jack."

He waved goodbye to his friends and took off across the quad in the opposite direction. The cool autumn air was crisp enough to cut through his thin zip-up hoodie. Reaching back, he pulled his hood out from under his backpack and tugged it over his head.

Even though it was only eight at night, the campus was deserted save two students making out on a bench he passed. Across the way he could see lights on in the dorm buildings. Distantly he could hear the bass of EDM music, probably from a greek house. Not many other places would have the balk to host a party on a Monday night. Jack was almost to his car when he heard a voice, clear and pretty like a bell.

"Excuse me, mister!"

Jack turned to see a girl who couldn't have been older than eight years old. She wasn't wearing a coat but only a bright green sun dress. Her feet were bare on the wet asphalt. Against the fading light, her bright red hair was like beacon. It was braided into lovely pigtails that were about shoulder length. The braid on the right had an obscure white streak woven into it. Her eyes were a alive with the color blue and inquisition.

Jack glanced around for some kind of a chaperon but saw no one. "Uh, hello. Are you looking for your parents?"

She giggled and shook her head no. "Silly! I don't have any. I'm looking for my sister."

"Your sister?"

"Yeah," she said. "Have you seen her?"

"I... don't think so. Well, maybe. Is she a college student?"

The little girl looked thoughtful, rolling the question around like a candy in her mouth. "Well... no."

"Why would she be here then? Do you parents work for the college?" Jack asked. It dawned on him that this might be Professor Jane's daughter, but he thought she only had one, so it wouldn't make sense that she was asking for a sister.

She shook her head. "Nope! Well, bye!" Just like that, she started skipping off down the lawn.

"Wait! You can't just—" Jack went to follow her but she was gone as quickly as she had appeared.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you al for your wonderful reviews! It really makes my day to see your comments and thoughts. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

The Wings

Chapter 4

Jack opened the orange pill container and shook the blue pills into his open palm. He counted eight oval discs. At ten miligrams a pill, that was eighty miligrams. That would be a relaxing low he might not come out of. The grim thought made him smile in an ugly way.

"And what, exactly, do you think you are doing, Mr. Frost?" Professor Jane was leaning on the entrance to his cubicle looking down at Jack who was still fingering the pills.

"It's just my medicine." He said, trying to sound nonchalant. Jane snatched the pill box from him. "Well, don't mind confidentiality or anything."

"Besides your teacher, I am your employer and I have a right to know if you are taking narcotics or some nonesense that will turn your into a man-ape around Elsa." She turned the container around so she could read the label. "Lexapro? Jack, are you sad? Did your dog die?"

"No." Jack rubbed his temple. "And I don't have a dog."

"Oh. You don't? I thought you did." She shrugged. "Well, no matter. What is this for, then? It's an antidepressant."

"I think I've just been under a lot of stress and I need to relax a little." The memory of the little girl flashed in his mind's eye, her cute smile and toyish braids. And then of course, there was Elsa and her fantastic butterflies. The feeling of her skin and the scent of her hair as she asked him delicate questions made him shiver. But he had never really enjoyed those sensations. It was just a vivid dream.

"I had someone at the health building prescribe them."

"You know you could have come to me, right?" Jane said, leaning on his desk and putting seven of the eight pills back into the orange cylinder.

Jack shrugged. "Well, yeah, but I didn't want to bother you or anything. I know you're busy."

Jane smiled, ruffled Jack's hair and poked him pseudo-playfully on the nose. "Silly, smart boy, you know I would never have given you a drug this strong unless you were seeing ghosts." With that, she turned and left, the sound of her heels muffled by the cheap carpeting in the office.

 _With their noses..._

* * *

She brushed her hand across the smooth glass. Ice followed the tips of her fingers, creating the elegant shape of a horse pulling a carriage. Jack responded by drawing a stick horse with an exaggerated girth being ridden by a stick man. Elsa smiled, delighted, and countered with a very detailed picture of a man walking his dog. Jack used his marker to draw a crude dog with a stick in its mouth.

They had been playing this game for about thirty minutes. The glass was covered with their artistic creations. Hers were obviously more ornate and quite frankly prettier than his. Jack just slapped up whatever relevant image came to his mind, hoping it was clever enough to get a smile, or better yet, a giggle from her.

And then it hit him. One eyebrow raised and he cast her a sideways smirk. She looked at him questioningly with one eyebrow raised and returned the smile.

Elsa's last picture was a tree, tiered off of the stick from the dog. Jack drew a plump little bird sitting in the tree. With the twist of her wrist, a little songbird and music notes painted in ice appeared on the glass.

Jack lifted his pen to respond. He could feel his hands become clammy and the back of his neck began to burn with heat. His first line was a little squiggly because he was nervous but he was able to reign it in. The scene he chose was that of two rough stick figures talking. He looked at her and smiled. Without much pluss, Elsa lifted her hand to respond but Jack quickly drew a line with his pen to separate the stick figures. He could see that she was still for the moment so he continued.

He gave one of the figures a spiky sop atop his head and the other squiggly lines for hair The one with spiky hair got a coat, while he drew a pair of wings on squiggle hair's back. He gave them both speech bubbles and then filled them in.

The spiky haired stick figure said, "Yay! We're actually talking!"

"I know! It's so much fun!" Said angel-wing squiggle hair.

Beaming, Jack pulled his attention away from his masterpiece and gave it back to Elsa. Her gaze was sober, as if she was thankful for his presence but nothing more. It was a little disheartening for Jack. He expected a reaction with more grandeur.

When she said nothing, Jack wrote on the glass again. _Can I?_

To this, Elsa nodded slowly.

Jack smiled. "Well, thanks. It's a little easier for me to just open my mouth and talk, you know? I've been doing it all my life and it just comes naturally."

He pulled up the metal chair and sat on the edge of the seat. She hadn't written him anything but there was a soft smile on her lips. Light affection warmed her blue eyes as she met his.

"I mean, with me, the words just won't stop! I'm so happy I can talk now. Like, I'm grateful to talk to you in any way I can, but hey, now you get to hear my voice so it's like great. And—"

Elsa waved her hand. _You talk a lot, Jack Frost._

He blushed. "Oh, you think so? Sorry, it's just hard. I mean, really I've been bottling it all up this whole time. If I'm not reading off of a script I'm writing to you. Oops, that sounded bad. I mean, I love writing to you, don't get me wrong but—" Jack took a deep breath, quite aware no one was responsible for the hole he was in but himself. He put his face in his hands a moment and sighed.

"I just wish I could hear you talk, at least once so I wouldn't be alone in my blubbering."

When he looked up, a new sentence was written on the glass. _You ask a lot of me._

Jack opened his mouth to respond, but he heard his name before he could.

"Jack Frost." It sounded like the whisper of silver Christmas bells. Sweet, delicate, and almost ethereal. His name had been on her gorgeous red lips. His name was the first thing anyone had ever heard her murmur.

In the flash of a second, he could see her smile against the sunny day as his head rested in her lap, smell the beauty in her hair, and feel the adoration they shared in his dream. It made him ache.

"Oh my God," Jack put his hand on the glass and Elsa put hers over his, the only thing separating them was six inches of plexiglass. "You said my name."

Jack felt vibration of his phone in his pocket. He reached in and pulled it out to see Professor Jane's name displayed on his caller ID. He knew that this wasn't an actual phone call but her way of silently paging him back to her office. When he looked back at Elsa, she was leaning against the glass. Her forehead touched the glass and her eyes were bashfully peeking up at him. Both of her wings were erect and splayed so that if he had the whim he could have counted each individual feather. With her platinum hair a lovely mess around her shoulders, he wanted to brush it away from her face and place a tiara on her head.

No, she looked like a queen indeed, but what he really wanted to do was to brush away her gorgeous hair and kiss her hard on the lips. Since she had made him feel something so deep and powerful, he wanted to move her in the same way. He wanted her to know his presence as he did hers when he was alone in his bed.

His phone buzzed again. Another call from Jane. He felt a hot and shameful sweat break out under his collar. What the hell was he thinking? This was inappropriate.

"Thank you, Elsa." He mumbled before leaving.

The moment he walked through the door, everyone was cheering and saying his name. He heard someone pop a bottle of champagne Hands were on him, shaking his own or clapping his shoulder in congratulations.

"Jack! How was it?"

"You did it, man!"

"Good job!"

It was a forest of people. Amid the crowd he saw Hiccup wave to him, one arm around Astrid before she Frenched him on the lips. Tooth shyly gave Jack a side hug and the weird guy with crazy blonde hair who never talked sprayed Jack with confetti. The lab was alight with life it had never known before and Jack was at the nexus.

"Out of the way! Move over! What lack of manners!" Professor Jane burst through the crowd. " _Jack!_ " She grabbed him by his lab coat and dragged him through the crowd and off to the side.

"Oh my! You did it! You really did it!" She clapped her hands excitedly. "I never thought—I meant it's not that I didn't believe you, but seriously—you did it! Jack! I could kiss you but that would be rather odd, yes? Oh, Jack!" Jane threw her arms around him and gave him a giant squeeze. "Can you believe it?"

"Eh, it's crazy." He tried to sound enthusiastic.

"How do you feel?"

Dirty was the first word that came to his mind. "Great!" Jack forced a smile. He remembered the way Elsa peeked up at him as she leaned against the glass. Her blue eyes beckoning and innocent. The gentle sound of _his name_ spoken in her lush voice. He felt the heat rising again. Gently he untangled his professor from his arms. She was beaming.

"Everyone is going to want to talk to you! And the press will be here soon. Oh, my! We've made science! We've made history!"

"The press?"

"Of course! Everyone will want to know what it's like to speak to an angel."

Jack nodded. "Of course." But really, he wanted to keep this experience to himself. Like a first kiss the moment he had shared with Elsa had been precious, but unfortunately public.

After another round of congratulations and a couple of glasses of champagne, the majority of the students and professors were chatting amongst themselves about which bars to hop. It was an unspoken decision that Jack would be the center of the night's affairs to everyone but Jack himself. Unlike his usual chipper self, he wanted little to do with the accolades of his accomplishment. Under the ruse of a bathroom break, Jack stole away and grabbed his things from the office before popping open the window and climbing down the fire escape. From his vantage point, he could see Mr. Black standing in front of the building speaking to a mass of reporters. It was raining and some desperate intern was holding an umbrella over Black's head.

Jack reached the bottom and hopped down. It dawned on him that tonight would probably be the last night of his life that he could ever truly fly under the radar. By tomorrow everyone would know about him and Elsa. It had only been two hours and already his Facebook page was swamped with forty six new friend requests and a plethora of his current friends congratulating him on his accomplishment.

Jack stuffed his phone back into his pocket and hurried across the dark quad like he'd stolen something. There was a light drizzle tonight, but nothing a Seattleite couldn't handle. When he reached his SUV he flung open the door and plopped into the front seat of the Rav4. He ran his fingers through his hair, inhaled deeply, gnashing his teeth together.

"Jack, you're a fucking idiot!" He pounded the steering wheel with a closed fist. "Why? Why? Fucking _why?_ " He pounded it several more times before leaning back in his seat and pressing the heels of his hands hard against his eyes.

"She's not okay. She's not human. She's an angel. This isn't okay. She isn't okay."

In the pocket of his pants Jack felt his phone buzz once. Then twice. He pulled it to see two new text messages from Zel. One congratulated him, the other asking if he wanted to go and celebrate.

She was okay. She was more than okay. More than anything he didn't want to be alone tonight.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, so I just realized that none of the breaks I put in originally made it through the initial upload. Ugh. Awesome. Anyway, that will be fixed, my apologies. I had A LOT of fun writing this chapter and listened to 'Unsteady' by X Ambassadors and 'Dollhouse' by Melanie Martinez almost exclusively. Share with me what you listened to while reading it! :) Thanks guys for all of your reviews and support and love! Whee for Jelsa!**


	5. Chapter 5

The Wings

Chapter 5

The morning light was soft on Jack's plain white walls. He could feel her golden hair on his bare skin, the smell of sugar cookies and sunflowers a suffocating comfort. As Jack began to stir, he realized slowly that his hand was resting on her naked hip and he was loosely spooning her. The gentle rise and fall of her breathing made him believe she was still asleep, so he was careful to untangle himself and lie with his stiff back to her. Just as he did so, the phone beside his bed began to buzz. He fumbled to try and quickly shut off the alarm but it was too late, Zel was already stirring beside him.

"Mmm," she rolled over and snuggled up to Jack. He could feel her naked breasts pressing against his back. "Good morning, Jack."

"Oh, uh, hey." He sounded as though he had just bumped into her at Ikea instead of waking up with her in his bed.

"Is it time to get up for school? Well, I guess work for you, huh?" She giggled. "Want me to make us some breakfast?"

"N-No that's okay. I don't usually eat breakfast."

"That's weird." Zel stepped gracefully over and out of the bed, still stark naked, but her ridiculous amount of hair covered any indecency in a way he used to find completely appetizing. "You used to always eat breakfast. It's so important."

"Yeah, I'm just not hungry."

"Then how about I make coffee?"

He paused. "Sure. If you want."

"Okay. Fine."

Jack could hear Zel picking up her clothes off the floor and getting dressed. He lay in bed with an arm over his eyes to block the sunlight. He waited patiently for her to move into the kitchennette but instead, the front door slammed so hard one side of his coat wrack popped off the wall, sending an umbrella and two coats to the floor. He looked at the coffee pot sitting on his counter, still full of yesterday's cold and sludgy brew.

Yeah, he really had been an asshole.

* * *

"Mr. Frost! A comment please!"

"How does it feel to speak to an angel?"

"What does her voice sound like?"

With his head down and shoulders high, Jack dodged the microphones that reporters jabbed at him like spears. Professor Jane had warned him about talking to reporters and that was strictly Pitch Black's duty as dean of the college. He was almost up the stairs and through the door when someone on the other side opened it for him, providing him a quick escape from the horde of press.

"Thanks," he mumbled,heading for his department.

"Absolutely not a problem!" A very familiar and very feminine voice said.

Jack whipped around to see the hem of a green sun dress disappearing around the corner. He was about to follow when he heard Professor Jane behind him.

"Jack!" She looped her arm around his. "Thank goodness you're here!" Dragging him with her, she lead Jack into the back offices and through the security clearance. "She's acting erratic. We can't seem to calm her down."

"What do you mean erratic?"

Jane shook her head. "You'll see." She left him at the door to Elsa's looking room. A little off balance from his abrupt encounter, he wearily stepped through the threshold.

Immediately Jack noticed that the room was about ten degrees cooler than it usually was. Only donning a thin cotton t-shirt and jeans under his lab coat, he shivered a little at the sudden climate drop. The glass was foggy from the condensation of the different temperatures of the rooms merging against the barrier. The corners on both sides were covered with an intricate webbing of ice crystals.

Inside of her room, Elsa was pacing, the glittering train of her dress silently billowing behind her. The side tables in her sitting area were over turned, reading materials splayed on the floor. Her mirror had been removed from the wall and was sitting on the sofa. Her bed looked as though she had slept in it and was mussed as Jack had never seen it before. Most alarmingly, soft pink and white feathers were scattered across the room like lost flower petals.

As Jack put his palm against the glass and he could feel the cold prickle his skin.

"Elsa, what's wrong?"

When her eyes fell on him, her hand touched the base of her throat and she sighed heavily, finally stopping her petty march. She touched the same place as him and he could feel the cold emanating from her hand, turning the glass so cold it began to burn his skin.

"Jack, I have this feeling inside."

"A... feeling?" He felt his heart quicken with hope. He was ready for her to profess that she felt the same devastatingly magnetic attraction that he experienced when he thought of her. But then he remembered the cameras that were trained on them both. "Can you... expand on that?"

She looked down and with her free hand she lightly ghosted over her collar bone with one finger. "It starts there. And then," she moved the finger down so that it traced a clean line between her supple breasts. Jack felt the blood leaving his head and it made him a little dizzy.

"It goes down, down to here," her hand rested just above where her belly button would be. "And you know what it feels like?"

He swallowed hard. "What does it feel like?"

Elsa softly blew on the glass, her rosy lips the perfect shape for a picturesque kiss. The image of a butterfly appeared in front of Jack's face.

"B-Butterflies, huh?"

She nodded. "Yes, Jack."

"I'll write that down." He went to remove his hand.

"Wait!" Elsa pressed both hands against the glass. The cold emanating from the glass became powerful, soldering his flesh to the glass.

"Ow! Elsa—"

"Oh, I'm so sorry." She shied away from the barrier and he was able to pull his hand away from the chilled glass.

Jack looked at his hand. It was bright red, raw, and seeping fat drops of blood in places. He closed it fast so she couldn't see what she had done to him. When Jack looked up Elsa stared at him with shadows of fear in her lovely eyes.

"Elsa—"

"Jack, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay—"

"I didn't mean to—I'm sorry—"

"I know, Elsa. I'm not mad."

"I just wanted to touch you and I—"

"Shhh," He raised his other hand and put it against the glass without hesitation. "It's okay, I forgive you."

Elsa closed her eyes and buried her face in her hands. Her silvery hair spilled across her shoulders like a waterfall. Her wings, tattered now by the loss of feathers, folded inwards, creating a barrier around her.

"I forgive you, Elsa." He repeated.

As suddenly as he spoke, a sheet of ice crusted over the glass on her side, creating an opaque barrier through which he could no longer see Elsa. As he stepped back he heard something somewhere snapping and grieving. Over the intercom he heard the tech team.

"Jack! We lost visuals in her room! Repeat: all sight has been lost."

Slowly, ice began to creep across the face of the glass on his side of the barrier. The temperature in the room was dropping so quickly Jack could feel it against his skin. His quick breaths were coming in dry wisps of smoke.

"Abort! Abort!" The intercom said. "Get out of there—" Ice cascaded across the white steel walls without mercy, covering the intercom and silencing it to a dull hiss. The wall of glass that separated Elsa and Jack buckled with a note as clear as a lark and a single crack marred its face. With a delicate ring, smaller fractures began to stem away from the large crack like an infection.

And then it shattered.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed and subscribed so far. You guys are awesome, keep up the Jelsa-ing! ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

The Wings

Chapter 6

She was reaching for him, a soft and beckoning smile on her lips. Her invitation was forbidden and tempting. Jack sat up, feeling the prickle of cutting ice on his exposed skin. When he glanced down at his hands they were crossed with bloody cuts.

"Elsa!" He shot up, crunching glass and ice underneath him.

"Jack," Hearing her speak to him made him lose sight of his better judgment. When he opened his lips to respond, the door burst open and men in white hazmat suits marched in.

"Jack—"

"Elsa, it's okay. I'm coming." Jack stood but was immediately seized around the waist by a burly man in a hazmat suit.

"You need to evacuate. sir." He said sternly.

"What? No, she isn't dangerous, if that's what you're implying."

"I'm not implying anything." The man explained. "It's protocol. The entire building is being evacuated of lab personnel."

"But-" Instead of using verbal persuasion, the man roughly shoved Jack towards the door. He turned his head to look back at Elsa just in time to see four workers greedily grab at her. One tangled his black rubber gloves through her thin blonde hair and roughly yanked it down, so her chin was thrust upwards, exposing her graceful neck. Another grabbed her wings, wrapped them rapidly in a length of thick rope while she whimpered like a child. Two other workers twisted her wrists together and shackled her with handcuffs.

Elsa's eyes found Jack's, desperation louder in the depth of her gaze than anything she could have screamed. As one of the men slid the tip of a needle into her lower back a tear escape the rim of her eyes and slipped down her pale cheek. As the men pulled Jack forcefully from the room, he could see her falling limp as a doll into their arms.

* * *

"Put it down." Hiccup commanded.

"What? I'm not even really doing anything." Jack said.

Hiccup took a healthy swig of his beer and set it down on the coaster. He reachcd out and grabbed Jack by the wrist, causing his friend to reflexively clench. "Then let go of it." Jack tried to shake his friend off off. "Just let go."

"You first!"

"Fine!" Jack opened his fingers to let a tuft of feather fall softly onto the scarred wood counter of the bar.

Fast as a blink, Hiccup swooped up the feather and tucked it away in his pocket. "Great. Now we can all get on with our lives.

"What the hell? Give it back then if you're just going to let it fester with your pocket lint."

"Not yet." Hiccup said without even looking at Jack. "You have to earn it back."

Jack stared at him in disbelief. "You're kidding, right? I have to earn it? Should I write how, I don't know, sorry I am for you twenty times?"

Hiccup sighed. "Yeah, I knew you wouldn't see it."

"See what?"

"I told you that you had to earn it back for a reason. You're so... uh, focused on Elsa. It's a little—"

"It's not weird!"

Hiccup put his hands up. "Don't get defensive. I'm on your side." He reached into his pocket and produced the feather. "Look, you don't have to explain yourself to me but I think you'll feel a whole lot better if you talk up a pretty girl, get her to drop you her number, maybe her panties—"

"Oh God—" Jack took a long draw from his glass. "I can't believe you of all people is lecturing me in the fine art of getting tail."

"Hey, I have a girlfriend." Hiccup quipped.

"Exactly."

"Look, bro, all I'm saying is you need to leave work at the lab and live a little outside." Hiccup slapped Jack on the shoulder, perhaps a little harder than necessary. "Go and talk to one of those girls at the end of the bar. I think you'll feel a lot better."

"Fine." Jack down the dregs of his beer and slipped off of his stool, eyeing the four girls at the end. He settled on the one who had an olive complexion and hair the color of a raven that fell over her bare shoulders. Her turqouise blouse and tight white pencil skirt hinted at after work drinks with the girls.

Jack sidled up beside her. "Hello,"

Mid-sentence with her friends, she offered him a long sideways glance. "Um, hi."

He extended his hand. "I'm Jack, I thought I would come over and say hello."

She opened her body to him and reached out to shake his hand. "I'm Jasmine." She touched one of her filigree earrings. "You're bold to walk over here and introduce yourself just like that." The three other girls had already branched off into their conversation while they pretended not to eavesdrop.

"Would it be wrong of me to assume that you think I'm brave, then?"

"Maybe. What if I do?"

"My ego would be pretty flattered, and I just might say that I think you are one of the most beautiful girls here tonight."

Jack felt a blow hit the back of his head so hard he keeled forward, knocking Jasmine's drink off of the bar and onto the floor, shattering the glass.

"Every time I think you've hit rock bottom you grab a shovel! No, wait, you ask for a shovel! It's like you can't stop!"

Reeling from the blow, Jack turned to see Zel, hands on her hips and glaring eyes the color of poison. In her left hand she held a frying pan, the weapon in question.

"Oh my God, you know each other?" Jack said, turning to Jasmine, who now also had her arms crossed and was looking none too impressed by Jack's tailspin. He gestured to Zel. "And why did you hit me with a frying pan? Why do you even have a frying pan?"

"Does it matter? I'm more concerned about you hitting on my friends!"

"I didn't know you were _the_ Jack." Jasmine said. "I thought you were _a_ Jack, but this is perfect."

"Come on, let's go." Zel said. Jasmine and the other two girls grabbed their bags, closed their tabs, and followed Zel out the door, leaving Jack to ruminate in his cumulative failure.

Hiccup nudged Jack with his elbow. "Here," he offered Jack the feather. "At least you know one chick digs you."

* * *

She licked her lips. They tasted of salt and silence. She felt cool and her slip gripped her lithe frame. Elsa tried to move her hands but they felt heavy, only her fingers curling to the whim. Ripples brushed her face and she knew she was floating somewhere peaceful. Her wings shivered reflexively, cradled by the deep water. To her left, she could see a distant light and heard someone murmur before she drifted away from consciousness.

* * *

 **A/N:** **Hello dears! Terribly sorry for the long time between updates. Hope you enjoy the update, please leave me a review and let me know what you think. Thank you to all who have reviewed thus far, it makes my day to read your comments and suggestions. :)**


	7. Chapter 7

The Wings

Chapter 7

They were standing on the metal balcony over looking the tank. She was floating like a scrap of paper on the surface of the salinated water, her white slip hugging the curves of her body. The soft white hair that Jack had so often imagined to smell of plumeria was a tangle around her face. White peaks of crusted salt cragged her paling lips and speckled her peaceful face. Waterproof vital patches were attached to her forehead, chest, and wrists. Next to Jack and his professor were monitors that softly beeped with the cadence of her heart and the lift of her breath.

Jane's hand rested on Jack's shoulder. "It's time to say goodbye."

"What happens now?" He asked.

"She'll get transferred to psychiatrics in the medical department. They're already monitoring her anxiety medications in conjunction with the anesthesiologists."

Jack's eyes were locked on Elsa's docile body. With her wings hidden beneath the surface of the water she looked merely human. More than that, she looked like a soul threaded on sinew and bones. Still lovely, something inside of her was withering.

"We've been on this project since the beginning. Isn't our information relevant? Aren't we?"

Jane sighed. "We are, but Mr. Black has assessed that it's not safe for us to be close to her anymore."

Jack turned to face Jane directly. "Not safe for us or for me?"

"Well, for—well—" Jane clutched the manila folder in her hands closer to her. "I'm not on the project anymore either, just consulting—but you're graduating! That's good news!"

"Consulting? Don't you think that should be my job since I'm the one who got her to talk? Since I'm the one who has spent more than a year with her?" Jack gestured to the girl in the water. "I'm all she knows."

"Hang on there!" Jane smacked him in the shoulder with her folder. "You, sir, are heavily medicated, lacking sleep, and because of her relationship with you, she blew up the whole lab that we were keeping her in! It's not safe to have the two of you near each other because of her connection to you, whatever that might be. It makes her unpredictable and therefore dangerous. She needs someone stable and emotionally detached to be ambivalent and observational."

"Ambivalent? So you want to take her back to the place where we were, spinning our wheels and not getting any traction? She responded to me because I wasn't detached and medical, because I care about her and I want to help her!"

Jane stood for a moment, digesting Jack's argument, using it as nothing more than a confirmation. "You know this isn't my decision, Jack. It's in the hands of Mr. Black. But please understand that if it was, I would ask you to step back for a season and reflect, hopefully with a professional. You have... an unhealthy attachment to Elsa and it concerns me." She touched his shoulder, this time tenderly. "I care about you as a friend and I don't want—"

Jack brushed her hand away. "I don't have an unhealthy attachment!"

"Then why are you yelling at me, Jack? Why are you taking antidepressants? Why do I look at the video footage and see you staring like a lovesick puppy at her when she turns her back?" She shook her head. "I know you care, and it's because of that that I must condone Mr. Black's decision to remove you from the project."

He could see her slow smile, the one she only gave to him. Her lovely blue eyes, curious and full as they wrote back and forth on the glass. The sensation of their hands both pressed against the barrier, six inches of separation between them. He could see the image of the butterfly she had painted on the glass.

"Is this permanent?"

"Oh, Jack. I don't know. If it were up to me, no. I believe if you learn to control your... what should I call them?" She scratched her messy bun with the pen she was holding. "Emotions? Temper? How about feelings. If you control your feelings for her, I think you could be a great advocate for the project, but your actions have startled Mr. Black, so I can't say."

Jack turned away from Jane, giving his full attention to Elsa.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I really am."

Jack gripped the metal railing, feeling the sensation of the cold burn against his raw cuts. It brought to his mind the memory of the mere seconds he had to see her standing before him with nothing but empty space between them; the moment before the medical team arrived. His other hand fingered the feather in his pocket.

"Goodbye, Elsa."

Without acknowledging anything Jane had to say, Jack turned and walked down the balcony steps and out of the makeshift lab. He had no idea how Mr. Black had done it, but in a matter of hours he had converted the basement of the on-campus medical facility into a lab with a saline float tank for Elsa. He hadn't believed they could make her more of a prisoner than she had been but he was proved wrong again.

He crossed the quad and went back to the social studies building. At this hour, it was fairly deserted. An odd variety of students tittered about, those conducting or taking part in sleep studies and dedicated souls who wanted to finish term papers. Jack let himself into his office and began collecting his meager possessions in a weathered cardboard box.

Much like his apartment, his actual belongings were sparse, but he certainly wasn't about to waste the other half of the Costco pack of spearmint gum in the top drawer of his desk. There was a collection of stubbly pencils that he wasn't particularly attached to, but he did gather up the pens and the random Naruto Shippuden manga volume Hiccup had given him. It had never been read but he could at least return it. Shrugging, Jack tossed it in with the pens and gum packs. He was sifting through the miscellaneous papers on his desk for anything personal when he came across an opened envelope with his name in goofy calligraphy surrounded by shiny applique sticker hearts. Instantly he remembered Zel bursting with excitement as she presented the envelope to him two years prior over gyros.

He pulled the card out of the envelope. The glossy front image was two of two thumbs up, one saying, "Way to go!" and the other "You did it!"

One the inside, Zel's handwriting was neat, organized, and tight.

 _Jack Attack! You did it! I'm so proud of you! You're going to make the best research assistant in the history of EVER! I love you!_

 _XOXOX -Zel_

He closed the card and tossed it on his desk. It looked odd amidst the overwhelming dirth of information on Elsa whose entire existence was more adult than Zel.

But he could remember what it felt like to hold Zel's warm hand and to kiss her small wrists. The feeling of her gold hair in his hands and the way she her lips tasted after she had been drinking a raspberry latte was a tangible memory that he suddenly had the desire to grasp as tightly as a life raft. It felt so good to be loved and desired by another living thing.

He took Zel's letter and ripped it in half, tossing it in the trash. He opened up every filing cabinet in his office and began pulling stack after stack of papers out. There were psychological reports, theoretical papers, documented pictures, medical diaries, and his legally binding contracts to respect university property. He piled them all on his desk until there was nothing but empty folders in every open drawer. Unceremoniously he tossed all of the papers into the box. Jack took his coat and draped it over the box, carrying both to the threshold of the room. Without looking back, he turned off the light of what was no longer his office and closed the door behind him.

* * *

 **A/N: I wanted to make this chapter longer but I really had trouble doing so without Jack's exit losing drama. AND HE HAS TO HAVE DRAMA. ...Because I said so. Thanks for everyone who reviewed last chapter, you guys are awesome and ilu. No, for reals you guys are true inspiration.  
**


	8. Chapter 8

The Wings

Chapter 8

Jack hesitated outside of the store, admiring the collection of wooden rocking horses in the window display. The largest one was finished pine, while the smaller two had a bay and appaloosa design respectively. In the other window was a menagerie of hand painted trains in a variety of colors, flanked by delicate pull along forest animals. Gold letters in a Nordic inspired font spelled out _North's Workshop_ on the glass of the windows. When he stepped inside, the bell attached to the top of the door rang, a familiar and welcoming sound.

From the back came a mountain of a man dressed in high-waisted brown work pants and a bright red flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up to reveal the tattoos on his forearms. His dark eyebrows were thick and just as untrimmed as his great white beard that was more than a foot in length.

"Hi Dad," Jack said softly. Immediately, his father's face softened and he opened his arms to accept a hug, that Jack half-heartedly returned.

"Welcome home, Jack." His father said, the strength of a Russian accent thickening every word.

"Thanks. Hey, do you think you still need help around the shop?"

"For you, of course! But, eh, I thought you graduate? Can't you find job fixing, eh—" He twirled his finger in a circle next to his ear.

"Crazy people?" Jack supplied. The small smile on his lips was subdued when he remembered the orange pill bottle tucked into his backpack. "Yeah, well, I kind of need of break from emotions." He didn't specify whose. Instead he busied himself by straightening a display of his father's dreidels.

His father cast him a look that completely told Jack his explanation was less than satisfactory but he respected the boundary his son had solidly placed between them.

The bell rang and a young girl with messy red curls that didn't fit under her rain hat dragged her mother in by the wrist. She was hopping up and down and pointing at Jack's father.

"That's him!" She exclaimed. "That's Santa, mommy! I told you he had a toy store here!"

"What!?" Jack's father said, putting his hands up in faux surprise."Me? Santa Claus? How could I live in North Pole and run store in Seattle?" He shook his head. "I aspire to be, maybe one day, but for now, I carve with my hands. No elves to help me yet."

"But you look like Santa." The girl protested.

"Sweetie, he's not Santa. I know it's a little confusing." Her mother said, placing her hands on the girl's shoulders and looked apologetically to North. "I'm so sorry."

The girl pursed her lips and tilted her head, completely dissatisfied with the logic the adults were trying to weigh.

"Here, look at this," Jack's father turned around and took a small wooden draft horse off the shelf. Unlike the blocky stature of the rocking horses in the windows, this horse had every detail loving whittled into the surface of the wood. The fine muscles of the horse gave it character and the feathers on the hocks were a thoughtful touch. There was even a wry smile on its muzzle and pupils in its eyes.

"Wow! It's beautiful!" The little girl exclaimed.

"Here," He offered her the horse. "For you. I will tell the big man you are number one fan."

Immediately her face light up like a sunny day. "You KNOW Santa!?"

He quickly put his finger to his lips. "Hush! Hush! Big secret, you know?" She covered her mouth and nodded, knowingly.

"Like I say, he is big man. I love to make toys and I love to see kid be happy. I only own small toy store."

The mother opened her purse. "What do I owe you for the horse?"

North swatted lazily at the air with one hand. "No charge. It's gift."

"What? No, at least let me give you something for it."

North gestured to the little girl who was clutching her new horse to her chest and stroking it. "She already pay for it. Now you enjoy too."

The mother thanked North again before she and her daughter left, the girl with a renewed skip in her step.

Jack shook his head at his father. "You just love kids, don't you?"

"Of course!" He pounded his chest. "It keeps me young."

Jack scoffed. "Yeah, because with your beard you look really young over there."

North shrugged. "Children love and believe with all of heart even if it defies the opinions and understanding of others, which is something special."

Jack leaned against a book shelf, polishing its contents with a dust rag. "Well, kids will just as easily believe in Santa Claus as they will the Boogie Man."

"Who knows, maybe they're both real." North replied. Jack put the book he had been dusting back on the shelf and a blue butterfly leaped into the air, fluttering within inches of Jack's face.

"Ah!" He jumped back, dropping the book to the floor with a dull thud. The butterfly flittered in the air for a moment, its beautiful and intricate wings catching light.

His father laughed. "Don't let it startle you, it's just trying to say hello."

"That's not how butterflies say hello."

It slowly glided to the floor where it rested for a moment before falling on its side. When Jack picked it up, he realized it was dead.

* * *

Jack was lying in the bed of his childhood, his feet flat against the baseboard. The walls were still an uncomfortable shade of dark red that he somehow thought would be a good idea in his teenage years. Most of his prior possessions had been stuffed boxes and in turn into his closet, but his desk space was still mostly intact, the desktop computer that occupied it hadn't been used since MySpace was relevant.

Beside the bed were the files. Piles and piles of them. Each had been thoroughly rifled through and used to keep his memories of Elsa fresh.

She was like a hit. The memory of her smell, the thought of her touch, simply the coy smile she would sometimes give him when he arrived... all of it was enough of make his heartbeat quicken.

On the top of the stack were photos of her collection, the first one ever taken on the top. She was on her back with her eyes closed, her pretty face twisted in pain. Red stained her clothes, hair, and wings like tragic sin. Stray feathers were caught in the thick collections of her blood. The white chiffon of her gown had been hatefully torn and there were fresh wounds on her wrists and across her chest. They had thought she was dead until she took a deep breath through partially collapsed lungs.

And then the police were called, followed by federal agents. Jack had their confused reports somewhere in his documents. For a time, Jack had found it extremely amusing the amount of fear and trepidation law enforcement had reacted with. Now that he was studied in psychology, he knew it was a subconscious reaction to evoke a response of fear when something could not be explained or was not understood.

He swung his feet out of bed and turned on his bedside lamp. Pulling his jeans up over his black boxers, Jack took a blank piece of paper, a pencil, and sat at his desk and began writing about what he feared.

He feared he would never see her again. He feared that everything he had done was not enough. He feared she would die, and die alone. He feared he would never know how butterflies said hello. He feared that what professor Jane had said was true. He feared that he already knew the last statement was true and that he also knew he was denying it to the marrow of his bones.

Jack set his pencil down and pressed the heels of his palms against his closed eyes. What the letter had revealed was that the emotion he felt was not fear, but anger.

* * *

When Jack came down the stairs in the morning, he was still in yesterday's jeans but had added and a faded red shirt he had found in the dresser drawers. He stepped in to the kitchen and looked around for his father but the only evidence that he had been here was a plate in the sink with toast crumbs and a knife with smears of butter.

Jack took a pen and pad of paper from the top drawer and scrawled a quick note, explaining he had to run to his apartment to grab something and that he would be back later. He took the time to heat a frozen burrito until it was lukewarm and then left.

Jack's apartment was a quick drive from his father's house and workshop. While his father's shop was in the idyllic neighborhood of Queen Anne and overlooking Lake Union, Jack had taken a residence closer to the university. Iconically named the U-District, his apartment was located on the edge of this seedy district. It was a simple cinder block building with wide frosted windows that had survived since the 70's. He let himself in and walked up the third floor, finding his door and walking in. Jack tossed his keys on the counter and peeled off his coat. He was about to set it on the back of a chair when something caught his eye.

On his dining room table his mail sat in a typical heap. However, the letter on the top of the pile was different than what it had been when he had left yesterday morning. Normally he wouldn't have noticed, but the letter on top had been an envelope with the colorful emblem of a university he would never attend. Now, it was the bland address of his doctor's office.

For a moment, Jack hesitated, but sighed and tossed his jacket over the back of the chair. It was probably just another overreaction. Perhaps he needed a higher dose of medications. He stretched before picking up his remote and turning on the TV, but as he was staring at it, he noticed something else amiss. He was meticulous about propping the cable box on its side so that it looked chic against the base of his flatscreen TV. Now, it was lying flat, the little green buttons winking at him.

Someone had been in his apartment. Immediately, Jack went to his closet and pulled his firebox off of the top shelf. Well, that was still there. He unlatched it to check the contents. His birth certificate, passport, and other valuable legal documents in addition to a wad of cash were all still there. He put the box back at the top of his closet and began taking stock of everything. His TV was still there as well as his Xbox, his collection of liquor, and his meager supply of kitchen electronics. Really, the TV and his game system were the only things worth stealing but they were still here.

To make it even weirder, the door had been locked when he came. Whomever was here had been looking for something they didn't find.

Jack pulled out his phone and began dialing the phone number for the Seattle police station. As the phone rang he glanced at the TV. There was a pretty brunette reporter with a cake of makeup on her face highlighting a story about the university.

More importantly, the medical building of the university. More important still, the fact that it had been broken into last night.

A image of the very room he had stood in yesterday flashed on the screen. Only, instead of seeing Elsa in the tank, one of the panels of glass had been completely shattered, the concrete floor still dark with from the water spillage.

"...There has still been no sign of the angel and authorities are still uncertain as to how someone was able to break in unnoticed."

"Hello, Seattle police, how can I direct your call?"

"It is believed that whomever entered the medical building took the angel-like woman more commonly known as Elsa, but the investigation is still underway."

Jack hung up the phone and grabbed his keys from the table, leaving his jacket as he ran back to his car. He hit the road like a madman, swerving through traffic and being the sort of drive to honk at people who dared drive the speed limit. He pulled illegally into a bus space and burst through the front door to his father's store.

At the counter, there were two men in black uniforms. Flanking them were no less than five men in camouflage who wore the insignia of the United States army on their uniforms.

"What the hell is this?" Jack said. He caught the pleading eyes of his father, who waved his hands, obviously asking his son to quiet his temper. He had commanded the attention of the room, eight pairs of eyes watched him intently. Jack wasn't about to stop.

"Ah, you must be Jack Frost." One of the men wearing black said. He had clean cut black hair and warm brown eyes with a genuine smile. He looked like someone Jack could easily share a beer with.

"Yeah." Jack replied slowly.

"I'm Inspector Hamada." He took a badge out of his breast pocket and flashed it for Jack to see. "I was wondering it you would be willing to come with me so we can ask you a few questions?"

"Why?" Jack asked. "What do I have to do with anything?"

The other man in black sidled confidently forward. He had a cheshire cat grin and dark hair that could easily be described as well groomed.

"Well, let's just say some people have a few... suspicions?" He peeked at Jack over the rims of his black shades. Mind you, they were still indoors.

"I haven't done anything and neither has my father."

The second man flashed his badge to Jack as well. "Inspector Ryder, Mr. Frost. We'll decide what exactly it is you have or haven't done, eh?" Not that it was any of his business, but Jack could see Hamada counting to ten in his head as Ryder was speaking.

A woman emerged from the back where the shop connected to his father's house. Her black hair was cut in an edgey pixie with the bangs dyed a bold fluorescent purple. The black dress suit she wore was ready to kill and would use her patent stilletos as the weapon of choice. In her arms were stacks of the files Jack had brought home with him. She held one up triumphantly.

"Bingo, boys." She said. Ryder rubbed his hands together and smiled.

"Good work, Tamago." Hamada said before returning his attention to Jack.

"Mr. Frost," Hamada said. "I would prefer to take you down for questioning in a civil manner, but given that you are already a suspect in an ongoing investigation and in light of the discovery that you are illegally in possession of confidential information regarding government property and that you have likely violated your non-disclosure agreement with the University of Washington, I'm afraid I'm going to have to place you under arrest."

"What? You honestly think I had something to do with what happened last night? I was here!" He gestured to his father.

"He knows!"

"Yes, Jack is here all night!" North chimed in.

"Unfortunately that doesn't matter." The woman said. "Even if he was here, he still stole these files and thats grounds for an arrest."

Two soldiers grabbed Jack under the arms. He struggled against them, but they were more powerful, holding him in place as a third fitted handcuffs around Jack's wrists.

"This isn't right!" Jack cried. "I didn't hurt anyone, I didn't take her! I can help you!"

Ryder patted Jack's shoulder. "Eh, we hope so, buddy."

As they escorted him to a black van at the curb, Jack turned to take one last look at his father's store. North was standing in the window, helplessly watching his son disappear. Even from where they stood Jack could see the tears as they rolled off of his rounded cheeks and dappled his white beard.

The other person watching his capture from the sidewalk was a familiar haunt, a little girl with red pigtails and a green sundress.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello! A nice long chapter for you lovely people. ...Longer than I ever imagined it would be. Really, this story was never supposed to have more than eight chapters, but alas my muse was fruitful. Whatever the case may be, this isn't my favorite chapter and it's really a transition. Thank you for ALL of the wonderful reviews, follow, favorites, and so on. You guys are awesome. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

The Wings

Chapter 9

Situated across from the crowded desk Agent Hamada had borrowed from the police chief, Jack was half-heartedly slouched. He was staring at the plain black clock on the wall, observing the painfully slow passing of time. The venetian blinds were shut but Jack could hear the soft patter of rain against the glass. He closed his eyes and folded his hands, the chain links of his cuffs chiming against each other.

Suddenly the door burst open and in walked Hamada. His face was as solid as a stone and the jacket of his suit was unbuttoned, revealing an untucked shirt tail and a tie clip that was migrating south. His eyes were fixed on Jack with a new determination that didn't seem to belong.

"I apologize for the wait." He said.

Jack shrugged. "No worries, I've just been handcuffed to a chair for two hours wondering why the hell I've been arrested. No big."

Hamada paused for a moment. "Do you realize the seriousness of the situation you are in, Mr. Frost?"

"Not really because no one will tell me."

"Let me enlighten you—" Just as Hamada was about to launch into an explanation, the door to the office was thrown open so hard the frosted glass on the top of the door shuddered. Standing in the threshold was a scrawny Asian boy who appeared to be on the cusp of puberty. Unlike the agents he was wearing street clothes and his converse high tops were wet from the rain outside.

"You can't go in there!" Someone shouted.

"Stop him!" Another voice echoed from the hall.

Hamada held up a hand to the kid's pursuers to signal their decease, but his set features told Jack this wasn't a welcome intrustion.

"Hiro, this is completely inappropriate."

"No, Tadashi, I have to talk to you right now!"

"Enough. I'm in an interview."

Hiro looked at Jack with inquisitive brown eyes for a moment. Jack nodded silently and Hiro smiled before returning his attention to Tadashi,

"Interview, eh? Then why is he handcuffed?"

"Hiro—"

"Okay, well, whatever you want to call it. I have something I have to show you." Hiro dropped the backpack that had been hanging off of his shoulder and began to unzip it.

"No!" Tadashi picked up the bag and started to carry it towards the door. "You need to wait in the lobby like I asked you."

"Wait!" Hiro chased Tadashi across the room and grabbed the bag, tugging it hard, but Tadashi was stronger.

"Look, Hiro, you already got me in enough trouble by skipping class again and leaving me to deal with the after math." He shoved the backpack into Hiro's arms. "Take your bag, sit in the lobby, and I'll look at whatever it is when I'm done here."

"This _is_ why I skipped class! It absolutely can't wait!"

"Enough. This is unprofessional and now your risking my job." Tadashi held the door open and pointed. "Go."

Hiro reluctantly sloughed the bag back over his shoulder and left, being quite sure to slam the door as hard as he could on his way out.

"Yikes." Jack said. "You're son giving you trouble?"

"No." Tadashi sighed. "He's my brother."

"And you have to pick him up when he's acting like a pain in the you know what? Geez, what a sour deal."

Tadashi stared at Jack for a moment, using the dregs of patience to sum up an answer that wouldn't get him canned. "Not everyone has a conventional family, Mr. Frost."

"Oh," Jack was immediately taken aback. "I'm—I'm sorry."

Tadashi waved a hand in dismissal. "We're here to talk about you today." He walked around the desk and took a seat in the leather office chair which looked remarkably more comfortable than the monstrosity Jack had been sitting in for the last two hours.

"Look, Mr. Frost, you committed a serious felony when you took those documents. This comes with a significant amount of jail time by itself. Its also suspected that you may have been involved in the disappearance of the test subject from the university lab, commonly known as Elsa. I'm sure you've heard about that by now."

"Were you in my apartment?" Jack asked rather flatly.

Tadashi sighed. "Yes, yes we were. We have a warrant if you feel the need to see it. But look, Jack, I want to be on your side."

"Oh? I like to put my friends in handcuffs too." He winked at Tadashi. "If you know what I mean."

Tadashi's did not seem amused. "I'm offering you a plea deal, Jack. If you can give us assistance in solving this case and finding Elsa, its likely we can get you acquitted of most or all charges."

Jack leaned forward. "I want to help you find Elsa, but not because I'm scared to go to jail. I want to help you find Elsa, wait, I want you to help _me_ find Elsa, because she's alone and needs help. I didn't do it and I know you need me because I know that you know that she knows me and will have a positive reaction to me. I'm a pawn to you."

"I wouldn't look at it like that."

"Oh no? Then how come you just snatched me from my dad's house? No explanation, no nothing. I'm not a person to you but a possession."

Tadashi leaned back in the chair, letting it creak. "If you feel more like a person, would you be willing to cooperate?"

"Yes."

"What would that be? I can't do any kind of financial agreement."

Jack shook his head."I don't want money. I want to be allowed to go home to my dad's house."

"He has a storefront at his residence and there are too many people going in and out to monitor appropriately." Tadashi countered.

"Fine. My apartment. Look, Hamada, all I want is to be treated like a regular person and not be chained to chairs every time you have a question. I promise I will be at your beck and call if you let me go home."

"Okay, that's simple enough Mr. Frost. But I need to you to understand we will have to seize the files you took and you will be under a certain amount of surveillance."

Jack grimaced. "Fine." He remembered the feather and wondered absently what had happened to it in the chaos.

"Well then," Hamada walked back to Jack, took a key from his pocket and unlocked Jack's handcuffs. "You're free to go back to your apartment, Mr. Frost. We will be in touch with you shortly."

Jack uttered a thank you as he massaged his chaffed wrists. He quickly collected his belongings at the front desk before heading outside to the bus stop on the curb. Since he had been hauled here in a van, he had his keys but no car to put them in. The bus wasn't scheduled for another tenminutes so Jack took his phone out of his pocket and began the idle thumb dance. Facebook, email, Instagram, and the like.

He was lurking around his favorite mobile haunts for about five minutes when he felt eyes on him. These days it wasn't a completely unusual feeling given his slight media presence, but it was always unnerving. He glanced around, knowing that typically eye contact was enough to snub curious eyes. However, Jack's eyes met those of the young Asian boy who had interrupted his interrogation. The boy smiled and even waved.

Jack looked over his shoulder to make sure there wasn't an adolescent girl behind him before awkwardly returning the wave.

"Hi!" The kid said as he approached Jack. "I'm Hiro! You're Jack Frost, right?"

"Uh, yeah..."

Hiro grabbed Jack's hand and shook it. "It's so cool to meet you. I mean, I've read all your work. Well, the published stuff anyway, but it's—"

"I haven't published anything yet." Jack said slowly. Experiences like this were reasons why he religiously avoided buses.

"Oh!" Hiro blushed a little and laughed, revealing the small gap between his two front teeth. "Right! I forgot. But don't worry about that. Hey, I have something I want to show you."

"Aren't you Hamada's little brother?"

"Yeah, but—"

"I really don't think it's a good idea for us to talk too much to you since you're so close to Hamada, no offense." Just as Jack said this, the bus pulled up. Jack started to turn away but Hiro grabbed his shirt.

"No! I have something I _need_ to show you!"

Jack slapped Hiro's hand away. "Cut it out! Go back in and wait for your brother!" Turning, Jack stepped onto the bus and slipped his bills into the machine. He sat in the nearest open seat and turned to see Hiro slapping his bus pass against the reader before scrambling past other customers to get to Jack's seat.

"Oh no—"

"Wait," Hiro said as he plopped down beside Jack. "Please just let me show you. I need your—"

"Go back to—"

"You're the only one who can help me!" Hiro shouted. The sparse bus crowd cast lingering stares at them. Jack even noticed the bus driver glance at them in his rear view mirror. He felt heat rising to his cheeks, knowing that these people must think he was somehow responsible for this rowdy youth. Rubbing his temple, Jack sighed.

"Fine. What do you need help with that no one but me can possibly help with?"

Hiro hoisted his backpack onto his lap. "I wanted to show Tadashi because he's looking for her, but then I saw you, and, well," He unzipped the first pouch. It was stuffed with pink-tipped feathers smeared with dark blood stains.

"Where did you find them?"

Hiro smiled. "I'll show you."

* * *

 **A/N: Okay... I kind of sort of totally love Hiro and HAD to fit him in here. Squee! Also, most of this chapter was written while listening to Colors by Halsey. Highly recommend. THANKS FOR ALL THE FAVES, ALERTS, AND REVIEWS! YOU GUYS ROCK! :D**


	10. Chapter 10

The Wings

Chapter 10

Two bus transfers later, Hiro was taking Jack deep into the blue veins of the city. The sidewalks were teeming with blackened gum, oil stains, and the stubs of cigarettes. Store fronts of tattoos parlors, liquor marts, and erotic toy stores sighed with faded paint and yellowing welcome signs. At the corner a middle-aged man with a pot belly and headphones twirled an arrow sign for a big furniture blow out sale. Close to him were girls who looked just a few years older than Hiro in skirts that hemmed right below their crotch line.

Hiro stepped off the bus nonchalantly and began walking down the street. Jack, a little taken aback by Hiro's casual attitude ran to catch up.

"You were here this morning?"Jack asked.

"Yeah," Hiro replied."Why?"

Jack looked Hiro over again. He was young enough to be naïve and old enough to have too much confidence which seemed dangerous in this part of town. If he didn't noticed the raking eyes of strangers trying to sort him into a stereotype, Hiro didn't seem to care.

"Just watch your bag." Jack mumbled. "How far is it until where you found the feathers?"

"Not far. C'mon." Hiro lead Jack for another two blocks before they came to a bar that was probably as old as the city. The door was propped open and the inside was dark. Even though it was still early in the day, the sound of sports and loud trash talk echoed from inside.

"What were you even doing here?" Jack asked as Hiro lead him down the alley beside the bar.

"Just a hobby. It's not important."

"Does your brother know?"

Hiro laughed. "Oh hell no!"

"Aren't you a little young to be cussing?"

"Aren't you a little young to have white hair?"

Jack smiled. "Touche. But it's platinum blonde."

"Says your box of hair dye. Here," Hiro had taken Jack to the burned brick skeleton of a foundation that looked as though it had attached to the vape store next to the bar at one point. This created a large open area between the buildings that was not easily seen from the street. In the center a meticulous red circle had been spray painted onto the ground and outlined with white. In one corner round tatami mats were haphazardly stacked beside dented scraps of metal. Stray nuts and bolts speckled the ground like dusty treasure.

"When I came here with my friend to practice there were feathers everywhere. He was like, a pigeon must have died or something but I knew this wasn't a pigeon, so I took all the feathers I found on the ground and put them in my bag."

"Then where's Elsa?" Jack asked impatiently.

Hiro held up one finger. "Hold on! I'm getting there. So he ditched but I wanted to look around and I found this—" Hiro walked Jack to the dumpster that was against the bar side of the alley. "It didn't seem like it was anything, but look behind it."

Jack kneeled and peered behind. Blood smattered the surface of the brick wall and the dumpster. Stray feathers Hiro hadn't collected were still stuck in the blood, serving as platforms for flies to land feast on what Elsa had left behind.

"Oh my God." Jack felt the burn of bile at the back of his throat. He had to put a hand against the wall and put his head between his legs. "And you didn't tell anyone? Not your brother—not the police—no one?"

Hiro uncrossed his arms and looked away. "I left to find help, but Tadashi never came home last night so I went to find _him_. That's when I saw you."

"Oh. I didn't know. I—"

"Don't apologize." Hiro said quickly. "It's just a fact. We should focus on finding Elsa."

Jack nodded in agreement, but silently wondered why the disconnect with his brother was driving Hiro towards him and Elsa.. "Did the feathers lead in any given direction?"

"No, they were scattered everywhere."

Jack looked back behind the dumpster. A cold sweat broke on the back of his neck and in his palms. He rubbed his slick fingers together and swallowed

"Okay, let's go ask someone."

"Wait," Hiro said. "What?"

"Got any better ideas?" Jack said, walking back towards the bar.

"Not really, but you think someone would just be cool with an angel walking around and they're like, hey! How are you? No need to call the cops or anything. Like, that' not even realistic."

"Maybe she doesn't look..." Jack hesitated, taking a long, shallow breath before finishing. "...the same." Before Hiro could say anything else, he walked into the bar. The interior looked as though it hadn't gotten much love since before Hiro was born and the neon signs for Bud Light and Blue Moon served as classy décor. ESPN recap of a recent Seahawks game played on the two TVs that faced each respective end of the bar. In the far corner there were unoccupied pool tables and booths. The thick of customers were mostly clustered around the bar, smoking cigarettes over their beers.

"Excuse me," Jack said as he approached the bar counter. "I'm looking for someone and was hoping you could help me."

The bartender looked Jack up and down. He had striking green eyes and a burst of long red hair that was swept back into a ponytail. The number eight pierced by a key was tattooed onto the man's neck and he wore a Mindless Self-Indulgence band shirt.

"Uh, oh okay." He said. "Anyone in particular or...?"

"Yeah," Jack said. He felt Hiro's body brush up against his. He glanced down at his companion to see the teen staring at a mountain of a man, redheaded with an eye patch over one eye. He was smiling at Hiro but not in a friendly way.

"I'm looking for this pretty blonde girl with blue eyes. She was wearing a white dress when she... left." Jack tried carefully selecting his words. This bartender looked as though he would gravitate to towards people with thick wallets and low morals. Honesty really didn't seem like his strong suit.

"Are you her pimp?" The bartender asked flatly.

"What!?" Jack asked, taken aback.

"Are you her pimp?" The bartender asked again. "You know," He glanced at Hiro then set down the glass he was polishing. With one hand he formed a circle. He used his pointer finger from the other hand and started to put the two together when Jack spoke to stop him.

"No! No! Of course not! I'm her—I'm her—" The other customers were sniggering.

"He's her boyfriend!" Hiro blurted. Jack froze up.

"Oh. Wait," The bartender pointed at Hiro. "Then who are you?"

"He's my brother." Jack said quickly. Then added, "Adopted."

The bartender raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying the lie but willing to pretend. "Okay... Well, there was a girl here. It sounded like there was a dog fight or something out there." He gestured to the wall that would have the dumpster against its exterior. "Then she came in half naked and all beat up. But it's not that uncommon." He picked up the glass again and started polishing before meeting Jack's eyes. "It's why I asked her if you were her pimp."

Jack knew he was inadvertently asking if Jack had caused whatever injuries Elsa—or this girl—had sustained. "I'm not. I—I really care about her. I mean, if it is her. Can I please see her?"

"See her? Yeah, it's not like I'm her dad or something." He set down the glass. "She just needed a place to crash while she sobered up or whatever."

"You think she was drinking?" Jack asked. "Why?"

"You ask a lot of questions." He nodded in the direction of a door to the left of the bar marked STAFF ONY. "She's in there. Go on in."

Grabbing Hiro's arm, Jack dragged him to the door and barged in like a thirsty animal.

"Elsa?" He said. The room was dark for a moment before the motion sensing fluorescent lights flickered to life. The pressed wood shelves to his left were stacked with paint, cleaning supplies, and aerosol cans of Rustoleum. A yellow Cadillac mop with murky gray water in its basin was infront of the yellowing porcelain toilet. In the center of the room was a sink with with a brownish ring in the bowl and a steel mirror hanging above. Tucked in the corner was a cot with dusty blue sheets. She was wearing the shirt of a man and nothing else, giving a peek of her slim posterior. Her soft blonde hair was tangled beyond hope with blood in the mats. Her dirty bare feet had cuts and bruises that traveled all the way up to the hem of the shirt and he gandered beyond. Her breathing was shallow and erratic.

"Elsa..." Jack fell to his knees and began to weep.

* * *

 **A/N: Wow! Chapter ten already... As always, thanks everyone for your reviews, favorites, and follows. Y'all are wonderful, you hear now? -Kay**


	11. Chapter 11

The Wings

Chapter 11

It was Hiro who sat next to Elsa on the cot, who covered her naked bottom with his jacket, and who began stroking her hair until her eyes just barely opened. He had never been so close to a woman so close to nudity and it made a blush rise to his cheeks, but he was careful to only touch her hair and forehead. Elsa's lips began to move but there was no sound. Jack was staring, disconnected from the reality of his emotions.

"She needs you." Hiro whispered.

Jack crawled across the floor and grabbed her hand for the first time. It was warm. When Jack squeezed it he felt her return it. With his other hand he dug his fingers into her messy hair and pressed his forehead to hers. The smell of plumeria and blood was everywhere.

"I found you." Jack whispered. "It's going to be okay."

"Jack..." It was a whisper he wasn't sure even Hiro could hear. She was as still as a broken doll, used up and tossed aside.

"Oh my gosh—" Hiro jumped off the cot like he had been bitten. "Jack—" He pointed at Elsa, eyes wide and chewing his lip.

"What is it?" Jack pulled away from Elsa to look at whatever was making Hiro so upset. When he saw it, it stole his breath too.

Blood stained the pale blue of the dress shirt. It was wet and red all over her back and the cot. He lifted her shirt slightly so he could see under. Her wings were absent, replaced by two gaping wounds that ate into the flesh of her back.

"No," Jack tucked the shirt lightly over her back again. "No, no, Elsa, no." She grabbed his shirt with one shaking hand, feeling the rapid throb of his heart against her knuckles.

"Can we—can we help her?" Hiro asked.

"We're going to." Jack said firmly. "Go outside and get a cab." Hiro nodded and ran out the door, his chucks squeaking on the floor as he hit the corner.

Jack was looking down at Elsa in his arms, remembering the dream and how bittersweet it was to finally touch her so intimately. She was looking back at him with a face smudged in blood and dirt, that soft smile she only gave to him was alive on her lips and dancing in her eyes.

"I'm going to take care of your." He whispered. Jack eased Elsa back onto the cot and swiftly untucked the sheets from the cornerss. Wrapping Elsa like a package in the cloth, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her out. He could feel the eyes of the everyone in the bar as he walked with Elsa's lulling head against his chest but none of that mattered. Hiro was waiting outside, resting on the open door of a yellow cab.

"Take her feet," Jack isntructed. "Help me ease her in."

Hiro did as he was told guiding Elsa into the back of the cab. Jack gave the driver the address to his apartment and settled Elsa so that she was sitting on his lap with her head on his shoulder, his arms wrapped around her for protection. Her trembling had subsided and her breathing was even and slow. His hand rubbed her back in long, soft strokes.

Hiro whipped out his phone. "This is great! I'm going to call Tadashi! He'll be—"

Jack used one hand to smack the phone out of Hiro's hand. It bounced off of the stained fabric seats and to the floor of the cab with stale crumbs previous guests had left. "Hey! What was that for?"

"You can't call your brother."

"What? Why? He's looking for her."

"Because," Jack sighed. "Because... he'll turn her over again and they'll put her in that room again. Or someplace even worse."

Hiro was cradling his phone with one eyebrow raised. "Uh, weren't you one of those people who 'put her in a room,' so to speak?"

"Ugh. Well, yeah but—look, it's something I regret. I mean, what I see in her is... I don't know, humanity, I guess. She just—" Jack looked down at Elsa who was now sleeping on him. He had never ever seen her sleep, not even in video footage. This was something new, something Hiro couldn't appreciate. Jack could have brought Hiro's attention to it, but he decided to keep this knowledge all to himself.

"She wants and needs to be treated like a real person, and they don't understand that. They'll continue to treat her like a science experiment."

Hiro glanced at the driver, who glanced over his shoulder briefly and quickly put his eyes back on the road when he noticed Hiro looking at him. Their conversation was anything but private. Hiro opened a text message and typed in the message bar before showing Jack.

 _Doesn't she belong to the government? Won't you get in trouble?_

Jack threw his head back and laughed. "You know what, I've already lost my job, any chance at a career involving my degrees, been arrested, and slummed around the shadiest parts of the city. That's only in the last twenty four hours! So, really, how much more do I have to lose?"

Hiro stared silently at Jack for a moment. His face was sober and his messy hair cast a shadow on his face that made him look old, much older than even Jack. "Don't you have a family?" Hiro asked.

"What? Yeah, I guess I have my dad. And my sister."

"Don't you want to see them again?"

Jack sighed. "Of course I do. But Hiro," He looked him straight in the eye. "You're too young to think that way."

"What!" Hiro jammed his elbow into the back of the seat so he could veer around at Jack. "I'm, like, fourteen!"

Jack put a finger to his lips and then adjusted Elsa on his lap. "Keep your voice down. "

"Sorry." Hiro said. "But about that thing—I don't feel right keeping things from Tadashi. I mean, he's my brother."

"Does it feel right to keep her in a glass cage?"

"No, of course not."

"Then I think you have a choice to make." Elsa whimpered in her sleep. Jack could feel a warm, damp sensation spreading against his arm. "I could really use your help."

Hiro's eyes moved from Jack's face to Elsa's and suddenly he looked like he was going to hurl. "O-Okay, I won't tell Tadashi. I want to help you. I mean, her, but I want to help you to help her."

"Good, then get out of the car."

"What?"

"We're here." Jack fished his wallet out of his back pocket and instructed Hiro on which card to hand the driver. After they paid, Jack lifted Elsa as gently as he could out of the back of the cab. She had completely soaked through the sheets and the blood was leaking onto Jack's old shirt. Hiro was still watching with a pale face.

"C'mon, I can only carry one person and it ain't you." Jack said. "My keys are in my back pocket. It's the gold one." Hiro pulled out Jack's keys with shaking hands. It took him a few tries to get it into the lock at the front door and then again when they were entering Jack's apartment. When he finally got the door, Hiro burst through and ran straight to the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

Jack didn't really have time for the distraction. He took Elsa to his bed and laid her down on her side, propping her into position with pillows and blankets he quickly balled up and stuffed beside her. He stepped back for a moment to look at her. Her eyes were closed but her breathing was out of cadence again.

"I don't know if you can hear me, Elsa," Jack brushed strands of blonde hair off of her sweaty forehead. "But I'm going to move your shirt so that I can get a look at your back and stop the bleeding, okay?" Gently, Jack began pushing up the tails of the shirt. He felt his own stomach roll upon seeing her wounds open and fresh. He assumed moving her must have aggravated them. Jack pulled Hiro's sweater over so that she wouldn't be exposed.

"I'll be right back." Jack stood and walked to the bathroom. Without knocking, he flung open the door. It smelled sour and thick. Hiro was sitting on the floor in front of the toilet with his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry." He croaked.

"It's okay." Jack said, not even looking at him. From underneath the sink Jack pulled out gauze pads, wash cloths, medical tape, and rubbing alcohol. From the medicine cabinet behind the mirror, he took out a pink bottle of Pepto Bismol and and set it on the counter before returning to Elsa. Her eyes were half-open now and she was watching him return to her.

Jack set down the medical supplies beside her and stroked her hair. For the second time he said, "It's okay." Gently so he wouldn't rock the bed, Jack sat down next to her and removed the sheet. He doused a wash cloth in rubbing alcohol. "This is going to hurt a bit, but I need to clean the wound." With one hand, Jack gently squeezed her shoulder. With the other, he applied the wash cloth to her wounds. Immediately he felt her shudder and Elsa gasped, swallowing air as she tried to hold still through the shock of pain.

"Shh, shh, shh, it's okay, it's okay." Jack quickly cleaned the wounds, changing the washcloths a couple of times. Remarkably, the wounds weren't as deep as he would have imagined them to be. He didn't really have the time to wonder why.

After they were clean, he applied enough gauze pads to cover both and then secured them with medical tape. Jack lightly rolled her to her side so that he could wrap it completely around her waist. Even though her chest was still covered by her shirt, a couple of times his finger brushed her breasts, making him blush and his fingers quiver, but he maintained his focus. When he was done Jack pulled the shirt and sheets back over so she was covered again.

At this point, Hiro walked out of the bathroom, still looking a little green at the gills and holding the bottle of Pepto Bismol like a soda.

"She okay?" He asked.

Jack nodded. Elsa seemed to be asleep again. Jack had positioned her on her side so that she wouldn't be lying directly on her wounds. He removed his eyes from her to look at Hiro for a moment.

"Are _you_ okay?"

Hiro nodded. "Yeah, I... I just don't like blood. That's all." He took a swig of the Pepto Bismol.

"No more blood, thank goodness." Jack said. "Can you get me two bowls of warm water, a sponge, and a bar of soap from the bathroom?"

"Yeah." Hiro set his drink on the kitchen counter next to Jack's wallet and keys and began filling two large mixing bowls with warm water. When he was finished he brought them as well as the sponge and soap to Jack, who thank him and dipped Elsa's hair into one bowl.

"What are you doing?" Hiro asked.

Jack glanced at him. "I can't get her in the shower like this, so I'm just going to take the dirt off." He gestured towards the counter. "I want you to take fifty dollars out of my wallet and go buy her something to wear."

"Uh, I don't think I have the proper equipment for girl shopping, if you know what I mean."

"You can buy her cat pajamas for all I care, Hiro, but she can't stay in this."

"You have a lot of faith in me, don't you?" Hiro said as he pulled out fifty dollars from Jack and tucked the apartment key into his pocket.

"I don't have a choice." A smile slow and broken came to Jack's lips. "But you did."

* * *

 **A/N: Here we go! Thanks everyone for all of your kind comments. I have been getting a lot of positive feedback on the way I write Hiro. I love Hiro so much and he is a ton of fun to write. He is quickly becoming a central character in this even though originally I never planned to have him in here. Just out of curiosity, who do you see Hiro pairing well with? I've been looking at fanships at Vanellope is a popular one, but I'm just curious what everyone ships the lovely boy with. Ta ta for now! -Kay**


	12. Chapter 12

The Wings

Chapter 12

The frothy water in the bowl had become lukewarm. His fingers were deep in the knots of her hair, gently massaging out the mats of filth with his dry fingers. Elsa was breathing a tender rhythm that evoked sleep. There was a certain sense of pride in Jack that he had given her this moment of rest. So it belonged to him too.

Having worked the majority of the tangles out, he gently lifted her hair out of the soapy bowl and placed it it in the bowl of clean water. He used a fine tooth comb and a dab of conditioner to brush out the last of the mats before lightly removing it from the bowl and twirling a dry towel around her fair hair. Picking up the bowls, Jack and stepped back to look hat her.

In the fading light he could almost pretend the purple and black marks on her skin were shadows. Stretching from under the hem of the shirt her legs were long, pale, and naked. Only the first button of the shirt was undone but he could see the slight of her collar bone and the valley where it met her neck. He wanted to kiss the cuts and bruises because she deserved to be treated tenderly.

Taking the sponge, he moved Hiro's backpack from the edge of the bed and began to wash the black off of her feet.

* * *

Really, what was the purpose of a bra? Were they really necessary or just something girl's like to brag about? Did they provide comfort to the wearer or was there a purpose he was missing?

Hiro really wasn't sure. The display racks of colorful womens undergarments weren't helping his clarity and he tried avidly to avoid the posters of semi-nude women lounging provocatively in featured lingerie. There was weird language like underwire, bralette, and bandeau. On top of that, why were there numbers and letters? Wasn't an alphabet or numeric system substantial? Why both?

Hiro decided that a teenage boy really should not be in charge of a girl's wardrobe.

He looked down at his arms, stuffed with random things he had vaguely heard Aunt Cass or Honey Lemon mention at one point. There was a pair of jeans, an over-sized robin blue sweater, and a taffy-colored graphic shirt that said, O _n wednesdays we wear pink._

Girls were into pink. Yeah.

Really, if Jack wanted anything else he could go out and get it because Lord knew Hiro had no idea what he was doing. He was about to go and find a check out counter that was not located in a sea of distractingly gorgeous underwear when he heard his name.

"Hiro! What are you doing without your hoodie?"

He turned to see a tall blonde girl with bubblegum pink glasses and a yellow sweater dress. She had a cream crossbody satchel on and three shopping bags split between both hands.

"What?" He stupidly looked at his back end, remembering how he had draped his hoodie over Elsa. "Oh, uhh—" With his head in the toilet he had forgotten to get it back.

"Come to think of it," She looked at what he was carrying. "What are you, uh, buying?"

"Just some stuff for—for my aunt. It's something Tadashi and I are doing. For her birthday."

She tilted her head, her loose blonde hair falling over her shoulder. "Oh, I didn't know it was her birthday. That's so sweet of you guys!"

"Yeah... But what are you doing here, Honey?"

Suddenly, she beamed. "I found the cutest new shoes, Hiro! Look!" Honey set down her bags and pulled out a shiny white box. Removing the top, she pulled out a pair of pumps the color of her lipstick with schwartzki crystals covering the heels.

"Oh." Hiro said. "Those are cool."

"They're more than cool, they're adorable! I'm going to wear them when I go out with—" She suddenly stopped, her cheeks reddening beyond the puff of blush on her fair cheeks. "Err, I mean, they're just really pretty!" She began stuffing them back into the box as quickly as she could.

"Oh, hot date, huh?"

"Uh, something like that."

Hiro was getting ready to fire another snarky comment when he felt something tugging at the hem of his shirt. He turned around to see a little girl in a green sun dress, her face freckled and focused.

"What the—"

"I see it!" The little girl squealed.

Hiro pulled his shirt away from her. "See what, exactly? What are you doing to me?"

"Look," The girl held out her empty palms. "These. Don't you see?"

"Aww," Honey Lemon lowered herself so she was eye level with the little girl. "What are you trying to show us sweetie?"

She wrinkled her nose. "You really can't see?" Both Hiro and Honey Lemon stared, not sure if they should buy into the delusion or play the truth. Then her face grew sober and dark.

"I just need to find my sister." She said softly.

"Oh," Honey Lemon put her hand on the girl's shoulder. "We can help you! What does she look like? Did you get separated from her?"

"I don't think you can help me." Then, she turned and ran, her red braids bouncing like carnival ribbons behind her. Hiro noticed that she wasn't wearing any shoes.

* * *

Jack was lying on the floor next to the bed with a folded bath towel under his head. The pillows were all occupied by Elsa, who after being cleaned up, Jack had managed to maneuver on to his quasi-clean sheets so he could get rid of the bloody linens. He was waiting on Hiro to return with what he hoped would be something Elsa could actually wear.

At this time sleeping would be the smartest thing to do, but his mind was running with festering obsessions. There were the good ones where he remembered holding her small body close to his and the feeling of her hand finding his heartbeat. Then, there were the horrible ones such as the medical team jamming needles into her skin or the horrible wounds on her back.

Sitting up on his elbows, Jack peeked at her over the edge of the bed. She was still propped on her side by pillows. When he was washing her she had opened her eyes a few times but had otherwise remained completely docile and willing.

It was in that moment that Jack realized he had touched almost her entire body,

Jack stumbled quickly to his feet and ran for the counter, grabbing his phone like a lifeline. When he pressed the activation button, he had nine missed calls and twenty seven text messages. The perfect distraction.

Opening his texts, he noticed that he had a few from his father. Jack felt a pang of guilt for not contacting him earlier. As far as North knew, he was rotting in a high security prison. They all began with sad absolutes like, _I know you won't get this,_ or _You won't be able to give me an answer for a long time, I know..._ He shot his dad a quick _I'm okay_ and mentally put him at the top of his call back list.

As he began scanning through the rest of his texts he found the good majority of them were from professor Jane.

 _OMG I'm on house arrest R u?_

 _They took my ccompanies!_

 _*computer_

 _Questioning w/ fbi scary_

 _Jack wher r u?_

And so on to the majority of what was in his inbox. One message was from Zel, surprisingly. He thought he had spooked her out of his life for good.

 _I know things were messy last time I saw you, but things are getting crazy and I just wanted to check in and see if you are okay?_

This was a surprise. The last person he expected to feel sorry for him was Zel. Jack imagined the thought of him rotting in a high security prison would make her faint with joyt. Yet, here she was displaying insurmountable compassion for his misfortunes. He glanced at Elsa in the bed, his index finger briefly hovering over the message box. Then he began typing.

 _I'm fine. Thanks._

Jack shifted to his voicemail. There were a couple of calls from his dad, one very teary voicemail he couldn't make out at all. Briefly he wondered if his dad had gotten the vodka from its high shelf above the refrigerator.

Chewing a hangnail on his thumb, Jack listened to Jane's solo message. She said his name in the beginning but then someone else started talking to her and she forgot to finish, leading to four minute message that he could only distantly hear.

There was one abashed message from Hiccup, who sounded shaky as he asked if Jack was okay and if he too had been questioned by the FBI and if he really thought they had grounds to invade everyone's lives as they were. Jack wasn't really sure how to answer Hiccup who had the moral compass of Ghandi, so explaining his real opinion and asking his friend to keep a secret really wasn't an option.

The remainder of the voicemails were only seconds long, attached to a restricted number. He entered his call log, Each of the calls were placed exactly one minute after the hour. It looked like it was automatic. Or calculated.

Well, if they didn't want him to know who they were, he couldn't very well call them back. Jack set his phone on the counter again and opened the door of his refrigerator. Inside there were three half-full bottles of ketchup, one of them being organic, a bottle of expired blue cheese dressing, shriveled carrot sticks, a quarter-full carton of eggs, and milk that he was pretty sure he bought last week.

But just to be safe, he closed the refrigerator and opened the freezer. There was a Banquet's meatloaf, a Lean Cuisine pasta entree, and some kind of Digiorno creation. The pizza sounded nice, but he was too hungry to bother turning on the oven. Jack grabbed the meatloaf and tore open the box. He was about to puncture the plastic on the top when he heard his phone dancing across the ceramic counter tiles. When he looked up he could see the stove clock in his periphery and it read 5:01.

* * *

 **A/N: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! ...For the next thirty minutes. Hope you all had a great time, I know this is probably a pretty weird time to upload. YES, I love Mean Girls. I was Glen Coco for Halloween. I just want to give a great big shout out to everyone who left me the wonderful reviews for last chapter, you guys rock my socks. -Kay**


	13. Chapter 13

The Wings

Chapter 13

"Jack," The voice on the other end sounded oddly satiated. The use of his first name was intimate and unnerving.

"Who is this?" Jack asked.

"I'm disappointed. You are so perfect, Jack Frost. Or should I say, you were so perfect? Perhaps you're losing your perceptive edge."

"...Mr. Black. Why are you calling this number? Why is your number restricted?"

"Well, I've been considering my decision to cut you from the program and I'm beginning to think it was premature."

Jack looked across the room to Elsa sleeping in his bed. Prone and wearing the old shirt and his thin sheets she seemed as innocent as she did breakable

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that in light of recent events we could use your special connection appropriately. If you are interested."

She stirred, tried to turn over but the pillows prevented it. Nestling back against the soft sheets she sighed like a dove.

"I—I was arrested." Jack stammered.

"A pity. But we might be able to offer your certain protections against future incidences under the guise of research and experimentation."

Jack recalled his last conversation with Mr. Black and how his concern was not Elsa's safety nor the advances Jack had made with her, but the cold bottom line of her expenses and risks. Mr. Black could not fathom the cool blue of her eyes because the only blue he wanted to see was the blue ink on the signature line of a check.

"Respectively, I don't know if it's in my best interests to support your work anymore, Mr. Black."

There was a brief silence on the other end. "Then I hope you will continue to cooperate with the authorities, Mr. Frost." The phone beeped twice, signaling the end of the call. Setting the phone on the counter, he stared at its dark screen.

Was that a passive threat?

"Jack?"

He looked up. She was sitting with the sunset coming in behind her, lighting her hair like silken gold. The aura of the fading light made her skin look warm and soft. In her eyes there was still the heaviness of sleep.

"Can I... Can I have some water?"

"Uh, y-yeah!" Jack turned around and opened a cabinet. He grabbed a glass and like a wet fish it slipped from his hands and shattered against the edge of the sink.

"Ah! Dammnit!" Jack brushed the shards off of his shirt and grabbed another glass. He filled it with tap water and took it to Elsa, sitting on the corner of the bed.

"Thank you," She said as she took with both hands and began to sip. Jack had never actually seen her drink, much less ask for any kind of beverage. This behavior was atypical. This behavior was human.

"Better?"

She smiled. "Yes, thank you."

"Can I get you anything else?" Jack asked. "Are you hungry? I have—uh—well, I can get take out." He paused. "Do you even know what take out is?"

The laugh that came out of her mouth sounded as clean and pure as a silver bell. "Yes, Jack, I know what take-out is."

"Oh, I didn't mean to... imply anything. I just haven't seen much of you outside of—"

"I know." Elsa touched his bare arm with her hand cold hand. "I know... what it is, but I haven't ever tried it before."

"Uh... you want... to?"

"Maybe. I think... I think I'm hungry." Elsa pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them. The shirt was a little big on her and slouched off of one of her pale shoulders. Her hair was almost completely dry and formed soft wavelets that hid her face. Jack wanted to pull it away so he could see her eyes.

"I didn't think you ate, but if you're hungry, just let me clean up the glass and I'll order us something."

Jack hopped to his feet and found the broom stuffed between the wall and the refrigerator. He swept the winking glass shards off of the tiles and into a neat pile before shuffling them into the dustpan. When he picked up the dustpan to dump it, he noticed that half of the objects he had swept up were not, in fact, shards of glass, but something that looked like glitter.

"What the—" The last time Jack recalled glitter getting anywhere near him was when his sister was still prancing around in gaudy princess costumes. Unless Hiro had somehow tracked it in. Pushing the thought aside, Jack swept up the rest of the mess and dumped it in the waste bin.

He shook his head and ordered from his go-to Chinese restaurant without giving it much thought. It was for Elsa more than it was for him. The conversation he had with Mr. Black didn't sit well with him. Come to think of it, neither did Hiro's proximity to Agent Hamada. Or the fact that he had lost his job and any chance at a career that he had sunk almost a hundred thousand dollars into educating himself for. To top all of that off, he had a paranormal creature illegally harbored in his apartment that the FBI would surely assume was stolen if they knew of her presence here.

Her name was Elsa. Her name is Elsa. She is alive.

Elsa was still sitting on the bed. She had moved herself to the window, leaning against the pane. Jack didn't have much of a view, just the shabby apartment buildings that reflected the historic value of the U-District, their cinderblock walls dark with saturation from the rain. The reflection of her eyes in the glass were hollow and distant. She was somewhere else, though still present enough to worry her loose hair with her fingers.

"Here," Jack took the comb from the counter and sat beside her. "Let me help." Gently, he gathered her hair and using the comb, sectioned it into three different parts. Jack took a moment to brush through each section to ensure it was free of tangles before began criss-crossing the three sections to form a braid.

"It feels nice when you do that." Elsa whispered. Jack felt the hot surge of blood rushing below his jawline and to his cheeks.

"Y-Yeah... It's okay. I don't mind it."

"Why do you know how to braid hair?"

"Oh, my sister used to like it when I would do it for her. You know."

Elsa placed her palm on Jack's knee. "My sister liked it when I would braid her hair too."

Flashing before his eyes were tiny bare feet, sweet blue eyes, and red pigtail braids. _I'mlookingformysister._

"What?"

"A sister. We used to braid each others' hair and play in the mist of stratus clouds. When we got older we would watch people and make wishes for what we hoped their lives would become." She tilted her head back so that it was resting on his collar bone and she was looking up at him. "But you know what the best part was?"

Jack swallowed, feeling a prickle of sweat on the back of his neck. "What was the best part?"

"When two people would who were meant to spend the rest of their lives together would find each other."

"Sweet! You guys got food, I'm starving!" Hiro was standing in the doorway, a delivery driver in the red uniform of the Chinese restaurant peeking over his shoulder.

"Ah! Hiro!" Jack jumped to his feet and tossed a blanket over Elsa, who was still wearing next to nothing. "How long were you standing there?"

He shrugged as he set a Target bag down next to the counter. "I don't know, a few minutes. Why?"

"No particular reason." Jack grumbled as he signed the receipt from the driver and set the takeout on the counter.

"Okay. Well, I got Elsa clothes. Oh!" From the Target bag he produced a half-full bag of Haribro gummy bears. "You want one? Oh, dude, your face is all red, are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"It's like, super obviously red. Just like this gummy bear!" With a big smile, Hiro pinched a cherry gummy bear between his thumb and forefinger to show Jack before popping it in his mouth. "And with your hair as white as this clear one—"

"Fried rice or white, Hiro?" Jack said quickly.

"Fried! Where are your plates?" Hiro dashed through the kitchen, leaving a wake of open cabinet doors behind him. When Jack looked at Elsa to ask what kind of rice she would like, she was smiling in that way that was only for him, hugging his itchy blanket around her shoulders.

* * *

 **A/N: For whatever reason this chapter was very reluctant until tonight to be written. Slightly hot off the press, please forgive me if there are typos and the like. Buuuut thank you all for your love and support. You guys are ah-mazing! :D Also, side note, I am not necessarily looking to pair Hiro with anyone, I was just curious because I saw some fanart out and about. Thanks for reading! -Kay  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Big thank you to Jelsamaleval because she pointed out I mistakenly uploaded chapter 4 instead of 14. Goodness gracious. Sorry folks, please enjoy the ACTUAL chapter 14.  
**

* * *

Chapter 14

Her jeans fit like an aphrodisiac. Looking at her from behind Jack desperately wanted close the distance between them and hold her so that he could feel her back against his chest. Maybe without clothes on. Jack rubbed his temple, trying to banish that highly inappropriate thought.

But it was hard. She shimmied into the blue sweater, her hips wiggling enticingly. She pulled it down so that the off-shoulder neckline gracefully accentuated her long, pale, neck and revealed the pink strap of the tank underneath. Pulling her braid free of the sweater, Elsa twisted it over one shoulder and turned to inspect herself in the mirror.

"You look amazing." Jack offered.

"I look..." She touched the mirror with the tips of her fingers. "Normal."

"Is that good?"

Elsa turned to Jack, catching his eye before she slowly nodded. "Yes. Yes, it's very good."

His mind returned to their first meeting when she wouldn't so much as look at him, her elegance more than he could stand. Everything about her had been completely unknown and departed from all that he knew. It was bewitching.

Never would he have wanted to strip her of her wings and dress her in street clothes, even if they looked incredibly sexy. No, that was the wrong word. She was enchanting. Still enchanting. Always.

"Whatever you choose to wear, it will look beautiful. Because you're beautiful." Damn. Not so smooth. But regardless, he caught another smile from her.

"No one would ever speak to me like that. Before."

"Psh, what? You're stunning. I'm sure—"

"No, Jack, because it's not like that." Elsa said. "It's... not. But you see humans doing it, and talking to each other and telling each other they are beautiful and it's different when you are... not a human."

Jack wanted to protest but he had a feeling it would make Elsa feel better if he chose to just listen. When he didn't say anything she moved a little closer. Now that made him uncomfortable, but in a good way.

"You were unlike anyone I ever knew, Jack. You didn't treat me like a possession, but a person. I hated you in the beginning because you acted just like the others, but then you changed." Jack's heart was beating faster with her narrowing proximity. She reached up and touched his cheek with cold fingers, stroking it gently. "You talked to me like a human, even if I am not."

With trembling hands, Jack took hers in his own, holding them tightly to try and chase away the chill.

"Elsa, of course. But it's not that I intentionally treat you like a human or whatever, it's that I want to respect you. Because you deserve it."

"Thank you, Jack, that's very nice." She was close enough now that he could have swept her into his arms if he had the courage. "I don't get that a lot. I'm not very important where I come from."

"Why do you say that?" She still hadn't taken her hand back. "You're important to me."

She laughed. "There are just a lot of people who do what I do."

"Which is?"

What flashed before his eyes was as instant as a memory. There was a young girl lying in a bed, the covers pulled up to her chin. On the bedside table was an assortment of medications with child-proof caps and crumpled wads of Kleenex. Her breathing was loud and shallow, her skin flushed and sweaty. Sitting on the bed next to her was Elsa, her lovely hair down and free She wore the long white gown that shimmered with impossible brilliance and her pink tipped wings were folded delicately against her back. Singing softly, Elsa was stroking the girls hair.

And then it was nothing but a wispy daydream, passing away so that he was looking straight into Elsa's deep blue eyes.

"What was that?"

"I'm sorry, Jack, I didn't mean to do that—"

"No, but what was it, Elsa?"

She closed her eyes and bit her lip, contemplating the words he would understand. "She—she was the first one."

"The first one what?"

"The first one I ever took back home with me."

Jack felt as cold as Elsa's touch. "You mean she's dead? You—"

"No, no! Jack, it's not me, I'm only a guide. They need someone. And that's me. But there are so many like me. You just don't see because it's not your time to die yet."

Jack look down at their connected hands, then back at her face. Even though he harbored no ill conception of what she had just confessed, her face was drawn and pleading. For forgiveness? It was strange. If anything, she was sweet to help children make a transition that was no doubt difficult.

But this was odd and rather shaping of his perceptions of the afterlife. Or heaven. Of everything he ever believed. It would make a great 60 Minutes special.

"Okay, I understand. But one question."

"Yes?"

"How did you end up here where everyone could see you and not just dying people?"

To this, she frowned. It was obviously not a question she expected nor did she want to answer.

"There is a barrier between the place I live and where we are now. It's called the Firmament and it's extremely hard to pass through."

"But you did. How?"

She parted her lips. Jack could see in his minds eye the pictures of her broken body on the concrete where she had been found. The wounds, the blood, the incapacitated body that was subjected to what the United States considered science.

"I don't remember—"

And then like a lightning strike, he felt his throat tighten, a burning white light glaring into his eyes, but he couldn't move. Medical workers hovered above him, whispering through their sterilization suits about vitals and stability before it faded to brightly colored spots all over his field of vision.

"Jack!"

He felt himself hit the wall, knocking his head hard against it. Jack felt thin and frail arms wrap around his torso and try to keep him up, but they both toppled over, tangled together.

"Jack! Jack!" The spots began to fade slowly. He was on the floor. Elsa was straddling his chest. Reality was coming back. Then he realized she was gripping his cheeks so they made a fish kiss mouth and lightly shaking his head."Jack! Can you hear me? Jack!"

"Nergh..." Jack grumbled.

"Oh good," She rolled off of him and let him sit up. "You're okay."

Jack took a moment to rub his forehead. Feeling the back of his head, he predicted that in less than an hour he would have a goose egg to tell stories about. With his vision still a little spotty, he turned to look at Elsa. She was sitting on her knees, chewing on the sleeve of her sweater.

Offering her his hand, he smiled. "I'm okay, Elsa." She took his hand lightly and returned the smile wryly.

"But, uh, what is that thing that keeps happening?"

"Oh!" Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Jack, I'm sorry. These things that happen since I met you—I don't know why. My kind, we communicate that way, by sharing memories, thoughts, images in our heads... It's easier and can be done from anywhere. But since I came here, it's been quiet. No one else but me."

"Unless you're with me?" Jack asked. She nodded.

Jack tried not to turn red but his skin was so pale and every memory he had of mentally undressing her suddenly rushed back to him in a flood of panic. "You can't see what I think, right!?"

Elsa giggled. "No, no, of course not. You're human, and anyway you have to be willing to share."

He sighed heavily. "Oh good—I mean oh, okay." And for a moment they just sat on the floor, staring at each other awkwardly, not really sure what to say to the other because they both knew that Jack was hiding something inappropriate and deeper than that they knew that tonight was not the first night she had accidentally hurt Jack.

And then Elsa yawned, breaking the stalemate. Another first.

"Are you tired?" Jack asked.

"I... I guess I am. It feel so heavy."

"Here," Jack stood and then took both of her hands in his, pulling her up softly. "Let's get you ready for bed. Hiro didn't buy you anything other than what you're wearing, do you want to borrow some sweatpants?"

Elsa looked at him quizically, tilting her head. "Eh...?"

"I forgot. Come here." Jack lead her to his dresser and began sifting through its contents. He didn't really wear much to bed but boxers and the occasional ratty t-shirt, but he was able to find a pair of navy Seahawks sweats and a gray zip-up hoodie. They would be big but they would work.

Part of him hoped that these would shed reality on his fantasy and kill his pesky urges, but when she came out of the bathroom in his sweats his heart only ached harder and found stupid ways to make this attractive.

He quickly pulled back the covers of her bed so she could get in and excused himself to the drug store around the corner.

* * *

"Tadashi!" Hiro called. "I'm home!" He kicked off his chucks and was about to throw his soiled hoodie on the low bench by the door when he saw something out of place. Next to Tadashi's black dress shoes where bright pink heels with schwartzki crystals on the heels. Both were aligned neatly under the bench.

"Uh, Tadashi?" Hiro walked into the living room. Tadashi was leaning against the wall, his face as cold and solid as stone. Sitting on the sofa was Honey Lemon, her hair pulled into an elegant topknot. The black cashmere sweater dress she wore gave her a feminine maturity that her yellow cardigan never could.

"Hi Hiro," she said meekly, waving.

Hiro looked from her to Tadashi, a feeling of betrayal beginning to rise inside of him. "What is she doing here, Tadashi?"

"Does it matter, Hiro?" Tadashi said. "You were supposed to be home over an hour ago. And why weren't you answering your phone?"

"It ran out of battery!" Hiro lied. He had turned it off and taken out the battery during his epic adventure with Jack so he would leave no trace. "That's not my fault!"

"That's just irresponsible, Hiro! On top of that, you are extremely late on a night when I told you that I had plans. You were supposed to be home and I couldn't get a hold of you when you didn't show up. How do you think that made me feel?"

"You need to chill out!" Hiro's voice was raising to match Tadashi's. "I was with Lilo all afternoon."

"Lilo?" Tadashi began shaking his head. "Lilo, huh? Hiro, I need you to stop lying to me and tell me the truth."

"I'm not lying!"

"Oh? I called Nani and David when you didn't show up." And just like that Hiro felt like he needed to throw up allover again. "I also called Ralph, Fergis and Elinor, and everyone else on your class roster that might know where the hell you were. So," Tadashi crossed his arms. "One more chance to tell me where you actually were, Hiro."

"I was out with—" Jack Frost. No, incorrect. But he had to give Tadashi a bone of some kind to chew. Yet, turning Jack in would lead to imprisonment for Jack which would mean they would take Elsa back which would mean she would be put behind bars again too. Jack might even be blamed for her missing wings. They would never believe him that he was innocent. Hito began to ball up the hoodie in his arms so that the blood on it was less visible.

And then he remembered that his backpack was still at the foot of Jack's bed. At least it wasn't another piece of evidence to drive his conviction deeper.

"Hiro?" Tadashi snapped his fingers. "You still with us?"

"Uh, yeah. I was really out with Roxas and Axel. ...Bot fighting."

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Tadashi said. "You know, it really wouldn't have been that big of a deal if you were out with your friends even though you know that I don't like Roxas and Axel. But the fact that you lied to me makes it that much worse."

"But—" Hiro didn't really know how to defend himself. This too was a lie, but at least one that Tadashi bought.

"Just stop. You already interrupted my date with—"

"Date!?" Hiro looked at Honey on the couch. Having both boys focused on her she suddenly looked like a deer in the headlights. "You're dating her? Eww! She used to babysit me, Tadashi!"

"Hiro—"

"She's a family friend! That's just gross!"

"Okay, enough!" Tadashi's voice was louder and deeper than Hiro's, whose voice was still cracked by puberty. "I need you to go to your room. I will talk to you about about your punishment when I get back tonight."

"You're still going out!?"

"Yes."

"But—"

"Go. Now."

With a frustrated grunt, Hiro began slowly walking up the stairs. When he reached his room, he slammed his door hard, making sure his brother heard. "Tadashi is an idiot," he grumbled. "He doesn't know anything."

Sauntering to his desk, Hiro spun the chair around, plopped into it and turning back around to face his multi-screen computer. He glanced over his monitors to make sure his window was closed. It was, but there was something there that shoulder not have been.

Hovering in the window was the dim outline of a wolf's head with fur the color of midnight. Bright golden eyes reflected the pale light of his monitors. Red strokes that looked like paint decorated its cheeks and above its eyes. When Hiro caught its gaze, its lips lifted a cruel smile. Hiro's heart stopped.

"Tadashi!" Hiro propelled his chair back so forcefully it toppled over sideways, taking him with it. Grunting, he struggled out from underneath it and ran for the door, flinging it open. He ran for the stairs, his bare feet loud and obnoxious on the hardwood floors.

"Tadashi! Tadashi! Tadashi!" As Hiro reached the bottom of the stairs, he tried to use the end of the rail to help him catch his balance and spin to the left, but the only thing he succeeded in was changing the direction of his momentum, not his velocity. Crashing to the floor in front of Tadashi and Honey, he crawled the rest of the way and grabbed his brother's hand.

"There's something in my room!" He said, voice breaking.

Tadashi exhaled through closed teeth. "For Godsake, get off the floor!" Grabbing Hiro's wrist he dragged him to his feet. "What are you talking about?"

"In my room! Well, outside. Outside there's this wolf thing, staring at me with its teeth!"

"Wolves don't have eyes on their—" Honey Lemon began but stopped when they glanced at her, one a little more hotly than the other. "Oh—Oh, sorry..."

Tadashi rubbed his temple. "There was a wolf? In Seattle? Staring at you through your second story bedroom window?"

"Yes!" Hiro said using his hands for emphasis. "If you don't believe me, then come look!"

"I think you're crazy, but fine." Tadashi walked towards the stairs with clenched fists and tight shoulders. Hiro made sure that he was behind Tadashi, but not far. Honey Lemon was carrying up the rear.

When they got to Hiro's room, Tadashi flipped on the main light and scanned the disheveled contents of his brother's room. Discarded clothes on the floor, candy wrappers and half-full energy drinks on the desk, and spare bot parts sticking out of sad looking cardboard boxes. Tadashi checked all ofthe windows. Nothing.

"I don't see any flying wolf, Hiro."

"It wasn't flying!" He protested. "And look! The window by my computer is open."

Tadashi put his hand on the frame and slid it shut. "Better?"

"No! No! It was here, Tadashi!"

Tadashi looked helplessly from Hiro to Honey Lemon. At this point several stands of her hair had fallen from her bun, framing her face in a way that was undeniably adorable. She tilted her head and offered him a gentle smile. Tadashi returned it, before giving his attention back to Hiro.

"Look, Hiro, you probably saw a big bird or something. But definitely not a wolf. I know it spooked you, but—"

"You don't believe me. You really don't believe me?"

Tadashi waited a moment before responding, not quite sure how to reject his own brother's need for validation of what Tadashi considered to be a figment of his imagination. "It's not that I don't believe you, I think you saw something and since it's dark and raining, you thought it was something else. That's all."

"Whatever." Hiro pushed past Tadashi and straightened his computer chair. "Have fun on your dream date."

Before Hiro put on his headphones, he heard Honey Lemon whisper something to Tadashi about their relationship being a problem for Hiro. Biting his lip, Hiro whispered, "Yes." Then he opened the League of Legends platform on his desktop.

* * *

 **A/N: LONGEST CHAPTER EVER WRITTEN FOR THIS STORY! So, a couple of quick things. As always, thank you for the reviews, faves, and alerts, everyone! Next, lots of new characters are brought in here. I'm picturing a Lilo who is older. Also, Axel and Roxas are characters from Kingdom Hearts, a collaboration between Disney and Square Enix, for those who are unfamiliar. Most of you probably know but Fergis and Elinor are Merida's parents. Also a ton of information to hit you guys in this one, sorry about that... I just thought it fit but now I'm questioning myself.**

 **And also... DID YOU GUYS KNOW KINGDOM HEARTS 3 WILL HAVE A BIG HERO 6 WORLD?! AHHHH! -rides a llama in crazy cirlces- That's all bai guys!:3**


	15. Chapter 15

The Wings

Chapter 15

Jameson. Just a small bottle, but it would stifle the pain. But the liter was on sale. Liquor wasn't usually on sale, especially not imported liquor. But that was a lot of alcohol. Maybe he should just opt for a pack of beer instead.

For whatever fucked up reason Jack let himself think about Elsa curled up in his bed. She was probably asleep by now, snuggled under his covers, wearing his clothes, smelling like all of the things he owned.

Jack hefted the liter of Jameson from the shelf and made his way to the counter. The clerk eyed him knowingly as he scanned the barcode.

"Drowning your sorrows, eh?" The clerk said.

"I... guess." Jack said, shrugging. He really didn't want to have a conversation with this man.

"Girl problems?"

Jack took a moment to consider the facts. He had a gorgeous girl whom he had literally dreamed about in his bed. He had spent countless hours undressing her as slowly as possible in his imagination Hell, earlier she had even been wearing nothing but an old shirt. All day he had been close enough to kiss her and at one point he had sort-of-kind-of touched her boob, but only with a fucking knuckle. By the time he had cleaned her up he had been privy to almost every part of her naked body and presently she was lying in his bed wearing his clothes.

And yet he hadn't even been to first base. His balls had never been bluer.

"I guess you could say that." Jack said, avoiding eye contact. He took his paper sack and was leaving the store when his phone began to buzz. His heart stopped, expecting a text from Elsa. And then he remembered she didn't have a cell phone.

It was Hiro. Cryptic, all it read was, _cll me_

Like hell. It was almost midnight. Whatever Hiro needed could wait until the morning.

* * *

Tadashi's cheeks were redder than Honey Lemon's as they walked hand in hand down the wet street. Tadashi was holding an umbrella over the both of them while Honey held the white plastic bag toting their leftovers.

"I'm so happy Gusteau's finally opened a restaurant in Seattle!" She remarked. "I love the way they do ratatouille. What do you think is their secret?"

"Mmm, I don't know." Tadashi let go of her hand and put his around her waist, pulling her closer. "What's your secret to being so beautiful all of the time?"

Honey laughed. "You're cute, but not as suave as you think you are, mister."

"I still got you to blush, didn't I?"

She looked at her pink shoes, the blush on her cheeks deepening. "I guess that's true."

"Hey, Honey,"

She looked up, about to ask what he needed when he planted a soft, lingering kiss on her lips. They held it for a moment, the rain pattering on the umbrella, frozen in the shared moment. And then Tadashi slowly pulled away.

"We're here."

"Oh," she said softly. Tadashi lifted his arm, hailing a cab driving down the street to pull to the curb. As he did so, he noticed a large black animal move from their side of the street to the other, dodging between cars with practice and disappearing between two buildings on the other side.

"Tadashi?"

"Hnn?" Honey's voice pulled him back to reality.

"I was just saying goodbye."

"Oh, right. I'm stupid." He leaned in and gave her another kiss goodbye before letting her get in the cab. Walking to the front door he let himself in to a house that was as quiet as death. Typically there was some kind of garble from Hiro's mad TeamSpeak conversations upstairs. But there was nothing, not even the murmur of Tosh.O.

"Hiro?" He called. Mochi weaved in and out of Tadashi's legs, leaving her tortoise shell hairs on the legs of his black dress pants. Shaking off the cat, he called again. "Hiro? Where are you? We need to talk about what happened today."

Something thumped loudly upstairs but Hiro didn't respond. Tadashi felt cold. He could see Hiro getting angry with him for earlier. That kid was a spitfire and when he was angry he became rash. So rash that a million terrifying possibilities began running through Tadashi's mind.

Did he go to a friend's house without asking? Get on a bus to Aunt Cass's house in San Francisco? How about a plane to their grandparents in Japan? Or, what if Hiro _had_ seen someone in the window, and it was a kidnapper?

Tadashi charged up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Hiro's light was on, his door askew, a blue butterfly resting on the knob. Crashing through the door, Tadashi saw that Hiro was still there.

He was lying on the floor, his face construed with pain and smudged with dried blood. Holding his wrist, fresh blood was leaking from an open wound. Hiro opened his mouth to try and speak, but all that happened was his lower jaw quivering uncontrollably.

* * *

"I'm talking to you. Are you stupid?"

Hiro didn't respond, choosing to stare at his sneakers and hug the chubby white robot doll against his chest instead of acknowledging the older auburn haired boy.

"Do you even speak English?"

With wide eyes, Hiro glanced up at the older and markedly taller kid. He had snake-green eyes and a strong jawline. For an eleven year old, he used a lot of hair gel.

"Hello?"

"...T-Tadashi." He said, stuttering.

"Tadashi? You mean that Chinese kid that just moved here?"

Hiro looked at the ground again and mumbled something softly.

The older boy grabbed Hiro by his backpack strap and pulled him so close Hiro could smell the flavor of his gum. "What was that?" Hiro squeezed his eyes tight, cold fear causing his heart to jump and palms to sweat.

"I—I— _hotondo eigo—"_

"Hey, what's this?" Releasing Hiro, he grabbed the white doll from Hiro's arms.

"Ah!" Hiro gasped, reaching for the doll but the older kid was dangling it above his head, making him jump for it. "Baymax!"

"Hans! What are you doing?" It was Tadashi, suddenly behind the older boy.

"You know this kid?" Hans asked, gesturing to the small boy wearing a bright mecha shirt with katakana letters on the front.

"He's my little _brother!_ Give it back, Hans!"

"Or what? You're going to go all kung fu on me?" Han shrugged. "It's not like he can even understand what I'm saying. He can't speak English. Seems pretty stupid."

Hans tossed the doll to his other hand, making Hiro run around the other side of him to try and grab it.

"He's four! Speaking English is hard for him, but he understands you. So stop it."

"Ha! How can you understand but not speak a language?" Hiro jumped again and this time Hans caught him by the wrist, twisting it so that tears sprung to the four year olds' eyes. "Unless you're an idiot, I—"

Hans didn't have a chance to finish his sentence because Tadashi nailed Hans with an uppercut, sending him and Hiro both into the dirt. Rolling onto his dusty knees, Hiro looked for Tadashi, expecting his brother to be there helping him up.

Instead, Tadashi was still ontop of Hans, holding him down with one hand and beating his face with the other.

"Tadashi!" Hiro cried out, getting to his feet. " _Shimasen!_ Don't! _"_

A yard whistle broke the cadence of Tadashi's blows. He glanced over his shoulder to see an adult with a stern look eying them. "Tadashi Hamada, come with me now."

Tadashi glanced back at Hiro, who was watching his brother with pleading eyes. Wrenching the Baymax doll from Hans, Tadashi tossed it to Hiro and then beckoned for his brother to follow. Blinking away the last of his tears, Hiro ran to his brother and took his hand, following him to the principals office.

* * *

Jack opened his door as quietly as he could. The studio was dark, save the flickering light of the television. The volume was low and he could barely make out the voices. Looking to Elsa, she was curled up around a pillow on his bed, her eyes shut softly. Her hair was still in the braid he had given her, resting softly on his musty pillow. One of her hands was curled loosely around the remote, the other tucked beneath her cheek. There was a certain youth that he saw in her when she was asleep. And he realized he had never really applied the concept of age to her before.

He set the whiskey down on the counter to be forgotten. Glancing at the TV, he saw a young Leonardo DiCaprio holding Kate Winslet by the waist on the bow of a ship. Titanic. She had been watching Titanic. Shaking his head, he manually powered off the TV. He was about to go brush his teeth when he noticed more glitter on the floor.

He sighed. "Why? Just—why?"

It was too late to do anything about it tonight. He trying to walk to to the bathroom again when he noticed a collection of the substance on his bedding reflecting the light of the moon.

"What the—" Kneeling to look more closely, he saw that some of the sparkling pieces were plastered on Elsa's pale cheek. He brushed it lightly with the back of his hand. She stirred but didn't wake. When he turned his hand over, the back of it had several specks of the strange substance.

"It's coming from you, isn't it?" He put his hand on her hair, lightly rubbing it with his thumb. She was changing, but he couldn't quite say he was unhappy about that.

And then he did something rash. Something he never should have done.

Jack Frost leaned forward and pressed his lips lightly on her forehead, giving her the softest kiss. For the longest moment of his life, he could smell her sweet plumeria scent intoxicating him. Her body was so still and quiet with his lips against her warm skin. It wasn't enough. He needed more of her.

But he couldn't because this was wrong. Really, really, wrong.

He left her, going to the kitchen and taking the whiskey in his hands. Unscrewing the cap, Jack took a healthy shot straight from the bottle. The flavor was strong and brittle, but hopeful in the way that he knew it would drown his shame and desires.

* * *

She was walking down the highway, traffic weaving around her. Their white headlights made her feel dizzy and weak. She wanted to sit down and rest. But something was close behind, soon to be snapping at her heels as though she was cattle.

Turning, she looked behind her. Over the freeway was a massive concrete overpass. But no cars, just a woman in a blue house dress sitting beneath a street light on the railing. Her brunette hair was loose and blowing in the wind, obscuring her face. It took Elsa a moment to realize she was crying. Was she going to jump? Did she want to die?

Hot breath tickled her ear. "Elsa, look at me." She turned around and it was Jack, his arms around her waist in seconds, their faces inches apart. They were no longer on the highway, but miles above, the cars racing beneath their bare feet.

"Look at me," Jack said again.

"I am, I am—" She leaned a little closer, the tips of their noses brushing. He closed the distance, touching her lips with his. It was gentle and sweet, a kiss that begged no favors. When he pulled away, she didn't have any breath left.

So she fell back onto him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and smashing her mouth awkwardly against his. But he had waited for this, she could tell. He was patient with her, bending to her desire and coaxing her deeper until she was at his mercy.

A gale of wind slammed into them and Jack's skin became as cold as ice. Opening her eyes, his skin had lost all color and he was scattering to the wind in wisps of ash.

And then it hit her. Pain, searing through her, trying to split her in two separate pieces. It burned deeper than the marrow of her bones. Everything was wrong. The stars were too bright, the cars were racing too fast and blood was pounding too hard in her veins.

"Disobedience!" A dark voice rang shouted. "Disobedience! Disobedience!"

"No!" Elsa threw the covers aside and sat up, crashing into Jack's head with her own.

"Gah!" Jack fell to the floor, covering the eye she had run into.

"Oh Jack!" She slipped off of the bed and came to his side. The only thing he wore was a pair o low riding jeans and he smelled faintly of whiskey. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! I think I had a dream—and—and—" The first thing she could see in the fading clarity of her dream was the loneliness and the pain. What burned itself into her memory was the taste of Jack's kiss.

He was looking at her with one of his eyes covered by his fist. What would his hands _really_ feel like on her waist?

Blushing, she touched the hand that was covering his eye. "I'm sorry."

"Hey," Jack removed his fist, revealing a quickly purpling eye to which she bit her lip, embarrassed. "It's okay."

"I'm—"

"Don't apologize again."

"I—"

"Or else." Jack grinned. "Hey, I made breakfast. Are you hungry?"

* * *

 **A/N: Yay for updates! Thanks for all your awesome reviews. You guys are killin' it. Hans is a solid jerk in my book, so naturally I made him an ignorant racist. Sorry if anyone is pro Hans. Please let me know what you think! -Kay**


	16. Chapter 16

The Wings

Chapter 16

Tadashi tapped Hiro's insurance card against the pressed wood armrests of the hospital chair. Chiseled harshly under his eyes were dark circles and sitting on the table beside him was a styrofoam cup with cold coffee.

This wasn't like that time when Hiro had swallowed a roll of quarters when he was six. This was more than the loss of petty change, but the near loss of the last person in his immediate family. Somehow Hiro had known there had been danger and Tadashi hadn't listened.

This wasn't the first time Tadashi had refused to listen to a premonition from a family member.

Pressing his palms into his eyes for a minute, he released and let them refocus on Hiro. His little brother was asleep on the bed, a thin hospital blanket covering his lap. On the bedside table there was a bottle of Vicodin and another of antibiotics. His right arm had an IV needle jammed into the vein and a pulse monitor on his finger. The other hand was severely bandaged over all eight of his stitches.

This was his fault. Tadashi was selfish. Someone—something—had attacked his little brother while he was indulging in a potential girlfriend.

"It was a wolf!" Hiro had said to the hospital staff right before they swabbed the "bite" with iodine. "Really, it came in through my window!"

He wouldn't stop. He just kept going. They couldn't get him to hold still long enough for them to put a needle in his arm. So they brought nitrous oxide. After a few breaths he was high enough that they could put an IV in and start stitching his wrist. He didn't talk about the animal anymore either, he just curled on on the hospital bed and went to sleep.

Tadashi was not cut out to be a parent. Not yet. Not like this. This was never supposed to be how his life turned out. It wasn't that he didn't want Hiro in his life, not at all. Aunt Cass had offered to take him but the thought of leaving Tadashi had been so disturbing to Hiro the night he even suggested it Hiro refused to let Tadashi sleep alone.

He wanted to provide his brother with the life he deserved. And this wasn't it. Lying on a hospital bed the victim of some freakish break in while Tadashi was out with a girl, it meant Tadashi had failed.

"Hnnn..." Hiro groaned, his eyes opening unevenly through the lingering effects of his medications.

"Hiro," Tadashi leaned forward. "Are you awake?"

"Mmnnn..." Hiro rolled over on his good arm, pinching the IV tube. Standing up, Tadashi came to his side and pulled it out from under Hiro's elbow so that it was free.

* * *

He was washing the scraps of egg out of the pan while Elsa was showering. She had a good appetite, cleaning her plate not once but twice. Jack, on the other hand, was still feeling his whiskey binge last night, opting for a simple cup of black coffee. It didn't necessarily sit well in his stomach but it did help to curb his hangover It was when he was about to clear the dishes from the table that he heard the knock at the door.

Guilt nibbled at his heart, realizing it must be Hiro, pissed that Jack hadn't responded to him last night. Leaving the dishes, he went to the peep hole in the door. Instead of Hiro, his older brother Agent Hamada was standing outside the door in a pair of khaki pants and a wrinkled t-shirt. There was a slight stubble on his chin and his eyes were bloodshot like he hadn't slept.

"Oh God..." Jack said under his breath before opening the door as far as the security latch would let him. "Agent Hamada! What a surprise." Jack's voice was flat. "Give me a minute to put on a shirt."

"I—" Tadashi began, but Jack had already shut the door in his face. Flying through the house, he grabbed Elsa's clothes and tossed them into the bathroom.

"Jack?" She called out from behind the shower curtain.

"Uh, stay in here, okay?"

"Uhm—"

Jack shut the door and surveyed the rest of the apartment. It was messy, but devoid of anything incriminating except for Hiro's backpack at the foot of his bed. Grabbing the backpack, Jack tossed it into the back of his closet, scooped up yesterday's shirt, and shoved it over his head as he hobbled back to the door. With his shirt half on, he unlatched the door and opened it for Tadashi, hoping the agent wouldn't notice the sprinting clean he had just done.

"Come one in."

"Uh, okay—Oh what happened to your eye?"

"Ah, this," Jack brushed his bangs out of his face, tracing the bruise around his eye. "I, uh, fell out of bed."

Eying Jack uncertainly, Tadashi nodded and turned his attention to the studio. Honestly, it looked as though there had been an explosion. Jack's makeshift bed was still on the sofa, his real bed unmade, and the dishes from breakfast were strewn all over the kitchen counter. Tadashi could hear the water running in the bathroom, the faint smell of Old Spice body wash in the air.

"Do you have company?"

"Oh, yeah, just some girl I used to date. You know, nothing big. Just a little fling."

"Uh, okay. Well, Jack, I just came by to check on you and see how things were and to give you this," Tadashi handed Jack a manila envelope. "In there you will find detailed instructions. We want you to write a report for us about Elsa. Her typical behavior patterns, likes and dislikes, known responses to stressors, and so on. Then we would like you hypothesize her next move."

Jack opened the file and slipped the stack of pages out. It had to be at least thirty pages thick. "You really think I'm the best person to do that?"

"Absolutely. But don't think you're the only one doing this assignment."

"Who else is writing a report like this?"

"I can't tell you that."

Jack chewed his lip. Hiccup, Jane, Astrid... Would Mr. Black be required to do this as well? His threat hung over Jack's memory like a miasma. Surely there wasn't anything he could do to impede law enforcement? Well, Jack should be afraid of law enforcement. The object of their hunt was naked in his shower. A cold sweat prickled the back of his neck.

"While you look over those I'm going to just take a peek around your apartment." Without hesitation, Tadashi began circling the small studio. It really didn't take him long but the annoying part was that he opened drawers, cupboards, and anything that looked personal. When he got to the closet with Hiro's backpack, Jack held his breath tightly.

"Hmm, that's weird." Tadashi said.

"What's weird?"

"My little brother has the same backpack as you do." Tadashi closed the door and turned to the bathroom. The door was ajar, curls of hot steam drifting out. Elsa was silent as a mouse, Jack predicted her heart beating as fast as his. But Tadashi didn't go in. Instead he walked back to Jack.

"If you could have that back to us by tomorrow that would be great." He clapped Jack on the shoulder. "Give your friend my best." And then he left and Jack let out all of the air he had been holding. Jack took a towel from the closet and cracked the bathroom door open.

"He's gone, Elsa."

The faucet handles squeaked as Elsa turned the water off. She pulled the shower curtain around her naked body and stared at Jack through the fading steam. Damp hair was clung to wet her skin and made her look like a sandy blonde for a moment. Even though there was worry in her eyes, she was still smiling confidently at Jack. He didn't deserve her confidence.

"Can you pass me that towel, please?"

"Uh, yes." Looking away, Jack offered her the towel in his hands. "Before you get fully dressed we need to put new bandages on your wounds, okay?"

"...Okay."

He waited until she told him it was okay to turn around. He put the lid on the toilet down and had her sit there, him kneeling beside her. Carefully, Jack swabbed the healing cuts with rubbing alcohol before applying clean gauze pads. She held her shirt just beneath her bosom so it wasn't as tempting this time, but he still wanted to hook his fingers into the rim of her jeans and kiss from the small of her neck to her exposed tailbone.

 _Stop..._

"Come on out when you're ready." He left quickly, not trusting his mind to innocence. This was a good time to work on the thesis Tadashi had asked him to complete. An assignment would give him direction. Not... something else.

He grabbed his phone and the papers only to find that he had a new text message and three missed calls. The name EMMA was at the top of the screen, the words _Call me you asshole_ in the message body.

 _I don't want to._ He thought stubbornly, but just as he was about to put his phone down , it began buzzing with an incoming call. It was Emma. Again. Sighing he picked up and put the phone to his ear.

"Yes, Emma?"

"Jack, what the hell is going on? I get a drunk dial from Dad saying you've been arrested, Hiccup tells me you lost your job and you won't answer my calls? What is wrong with you? I drove all the way from Spokane because I thought you were on a crack bender or something! This—"

"Emma! Slow down, I can explain everything."

"Really? Really, Jack? Is this just another one of your bullshit mid-twenties life crises? Because I can't—What? Oh, dad, it's Jack I—"

"Dad?" Jack said. "Let me talk to him"

"No, Jack, you need to get over here. Now."

"Emma, I'm kind of busy—"

"Doing what? I thought you lost your job, like Hiccup said."

"Ahh, don't listen to Hiccup." Jack practically whined into the phone. "He really doesn't know what I'm going through."

"You're right, he doesn't know what it's like to be totally irresponsible because he has a fiancee and a career and he actually helped his parents fix their marriage, while you run away the minute your father picks up the bottle."

"He's drinking again?"

"Yes, Jack, get over here now. He needs you."

"Okay, okay," Jack glanced back at Elsa, who was folding the blankets and making the bed. She had braided her hair again today, but not as tightly as Jack had. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

* * *

"Mmm..." The sanitary white walls were fuzzy, the fluorescent lights a little painful to look at. "Ta...da..." Hiro rubbed his with his good hand, the sticker of the IV needle pulling at his skin. "Tadashi..." Curling the fingers of his bandaged hand, he found that someone had put the battered Baymax doll in the crook of his arm.

As the small room came into focus, he could see the speckled counters, the white cabinets, and the colorful privacy drape drawn around his bed. Sitting in one of the two chairs beside his bed was a familiar face that did not belong to Tadashi. Honey Lemon smiled and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Oh, Hiro, I'm so glad you're awake."

"Why are you here?" Hiro's words were a little slurred from his medicated doze but they were clear enough to communicate his displeasure.

"Tadashi asked me to pick you up. He had to go to work."

"Why?"

"Hiro," Honey tilted her head to the side and frowned. "He was with you all night."

"No, he was with you for half of it." Taking the Baymax doll, he rolled away from Honey. It was a quiet car ride home.

"You don't think they will recognize me?" Elsa said, her fingers worrying in her lap.

"You don't have wings." When Jack said this he caught her looking at him with pain her eyes and his stomach churned uncomfortably. He hadn't meant to be blunt, but it was true. "I think you will be okay. Just act like we know each other."

"Know each other how? Like... dating?"

"Oh, no!"Jack said quickly. "Like friends. Just friends."

"But that's not what you told you Agent Hamada."

"Yeah, well, he doesn't know my sister. And you were showering in my apartment. It just would be weird if I had called you just a friend to him."

Elsa stared at him skeptically. Jack wondered how he had managed to offend her so deeply in a ten minute car ride.

"Look, if they ask just tell them you're my friend, okay?"

Elsa shrugged. "Fine." That was one of those idioms that didn't truly mean what it was supposed to. Did everyone have to be pissed at him today?

"We're here." Jack pulled into am metered parking spot on the street. Although the shop physically looked the same, there was a sick feeling he got when he and Elsa walked through the door. A girl barely older than seventeen was mopping the floors with bleach. She had plain brown hair swept back into a loose ponytail and wore old jeans with a earthy green top. Upon hearing the entrance bell ring, she straightened and began her practiced welcome.

"Hello and welcome to—Jack!" Dropping her mop, she ran across the freshly cleaned floor with her shoes and leaped into his arms. "You're home! You're home!"

"Uh, Emma," He gave her a quick squeeze back, glancing at Elsa who was bemused by the enthusiastic greeting Jack's sister had given him.

"I thought you were mad me." Jack said.

Emma waved her hand in the air. "Well, duh. But I'm glad you're here. It's hard to... keep things going by myself when Dad's... not feeling good." There were words they couldn't say out loud even though they both knew what they were. It was less painful to acknowledge the truth.

"Is he sick?" Elsa asked innocently.

Emma raised an eyebrow. "I—I—Yeah, yeah he is. He's sick." Then she looked at Jack. "Where'd you pick this one up?"

"Be nice, Emma." Jack breathed. "It's been a long night."

"I'm sure." Emma said and Elsa put her hands on cheeks as they turned bright red. Jack saw her and he almost didn't hear Emma say, "Come on,"

Emma gestured for Jack to follow her into the back house. The smell of alcohol was thick and he could see why his sister had chosen to swab the floors with bleach. A toy store reeking of vodka wasn't a place parents really wanted to take their children.

Sitting on the couch watching sitcom reruns was their father. His skin was pale and clammy and his eyes a little lazy as he watched the flickering of the TV.

"Dad," Jack said, shying into the room. "How are you feeling."

"Jack?" He turned to see his son better. "Jack! You're out! They didn't throw you in the jail?"

"No, no, Dad. I'm okay. I cooperated so they gave me leniance."

As Jack began to fill in his father and Emma on what had happened minus his discovery of Elsa, the latter began to wander back to the store.

Following children for years on end she was no stranger to toy stores. Their chaste whimsy never failed to amaze her and the fact that most of North's toys were made in his own workshop was astounding to her. Although she had touched the toys of children and even consoled them to leave behind precious lovies and stuffed animals, Elsa had never had a toy of her own before.

From the shelf she pulled a small wooden music box. The depiction was a girl wearing a silver embossed dress dancing with a bird the color of fire. She couldn't read the Russian inscription that wrapped around the base of the box. Winding up the key in the back, she let the box play. The woman and the bird began to circle together in a simple but hypnotizing dance, the melody soft and relaxing enough to be a lullaby. She was so mesmerized that she didn't hear the jingle of the bell above the door.

"Elsa..."

She turned, expecting to see Emma calling her back. Standing beside her was a young barefoot girl in a green sun dress. The music box slipped from Elsa's hands, falling to the floor with a loud crack as it split into pieces, the mechanical heart smashed into cogs and bolts.

"Anna, you're here."

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, I super hate that I have to go back and add spacers when I upload here. -cries- BUT LIKE NEW CHAPTER GUYS! YAy. -throws confetti in the air- We are moving and grooving, Jelsa is coming, I promise, I know it's been long and slow. Thanks for your reviews and faves/follows! :D**


	17. Chapter 17

The Wings

Chapter 17

Elsa fell to her knees amidst the shards of the broken music box. "Anna, you're here." She repeated with distantly. "But—but how? And like this?"

Anna touched Elsa's face with her small, cold hands. "I came looking for you. Because you have to make things right."

"Make things right—"

"Yes, so you can come home again."

Elsa looked her sister up and down. Although her hands were cold and her feet wet from the rain, she wasn't shivering. Her hair was braided, but unkempt and frizzy. The dress she wore was aged. "I don't think I can, Anna."

"No, no, no," Her words were quick as a rabbit. "You can, there has to be a way. You can pay reparations."

Anna's big eyes were full of youth and hope. This was not how Elsa was used to seeing her but the purity and innocence her sister possessed was always her strongest quality. Elsa could never say she followed a rule with the same punctuality as her sister.

"I don't even remember what I did, Anna."

Anna's skin paled beneath the spray of freckles on her cheeks. "...What do you mean?"

"There are so many things I don't remember. That is one of them." Elsa looked from the remains of the music box to her sister. "Do you know what I did, Anna?" A dark tear hit the dress of the cracked dancer, sliding between the splinters of painted wood.

"Oh, Elsa," Anna wrapped her arms around her sister. "No, no, you're already losing pieces of you. The dust—and your wings, what happened to them?"

Elsa bit her lip, feeling the sharp pain like an anchor to her bitter reality. "It—" Her breath began to quicken. She closed her eyes and she could still see the glowing yellow eyes. _Disobedience..._

"He took them away."

"He wants to make things right." Anna whispered. "We have to make amends before he can or you won't—"

"Elsa?" Both girls turned to see Jack standing at the counter. His head was tilted so that the shadows made his face look thin and sick; as sick as Elsa felt. But his words were warm and comfortable, whereas Anna beckoned her to a responsibility she feared.

"Are you okay?" His eyes fell on the young girl whose appearance was familiar somewhere in the mental fog that clouded his brain.

"Are _you_ okay?"

He decided it probably didn't matter. But when he blinked, she was gone and the front door was swinging back and forth, ringing the bell each time it passed the threshold. Elsa was silent, picking up the pieces of wood and broken bolts.

"Here, let me help." Jack brushed her hand and it was wet. He looked at Elsa but her head was turned down. Hooking his finger up her chin, he gently tilted her head up. When their eyes met, she saw that his were soft and begging for an explanation for the tears in hers.

"It's just a music box." Jack said softly. "It can be fixed."

"I—I'm sorry. You're right."

"I can fix it. I promise." He flashed her a clever smile. "I take after my dad. I can repair a lot of things." Although Elsa returned his smile, she had to wonder if he could really fix the source of her tears. Picking up a piece of the base, she turned it over to reveal the Russian inscription.

"Do you know what this says, Jack?" Elsa held it out for him to see. He glanced at it and grinned, happy that she had willing given him the opportunity to show off a little.

"Yeah, it's something my dad used to tell us after my mom died. Lyubov' sil'neye strakha," Jack said, the R's not quite rolling off of his tongue correctly. "It means love is stronger than fear."

Elsa handed him the piece she was holding, letting her fingers touch his a moment too long. "It's true."

* * *

Hiro's bad hand was perched on top of his unkempt hair while his right hand expertly navigated his champion to the group fight at the center of the map. As he clicked furiously, his pink tongue stuck out the side of his mouth as a testament to the effort it took to dominate a virtual battle field with only one hand.

"I don't understand how you can play that game with only one hand." Tadashi said.

"Ah!" Hiro jumped at the sound of his brother's voice. Another player monopolized on Hiro's sudden lack of locomotion and unleashed an eclipsing blow, killing Hiro and turning his screen a shady gray until he respawned.

"Tadashi! You made me die!"

"Oh, calm down." Tadashi pulled up a chair to Hiro's open laptop and began booting it up. He was still wearing the wrinkled clothes from this morning and the shadows under his eyes were darker than ever. "How about we play one together? I'll take bottom lane with you?"

"No thanks."

"What? Why? It'll be fun."

"Because I don't want to play with you." Hiro said without looking at Tadashi. His character had respawned and he was charing back towards the battle his teammates had initiated in the field.

Tadashi crossed his arms over his chest. "Is this because Honey picked you up?"

"A little." Hiro admitted.

Tadashi took his time in responding. He observed his brother's posture, slouched over the desk as he rapidly slammed his mouse and hot keys with his only good hand, the one that still had a band-aid slapped over the the bruised skin where the IV needle had been. Today he hadn't so much as looked at Tadashi and he had been home for well over an hour.

Getting down on the floor on his hands and knees, Tadashi crawled past Hiro's legs, under his desk, and to the desktop power cord which he unplugged from the wall.

"Hey!" Hiro cried. "Why did you do that, Tadashi?"

"Because," Tadashi said as he came back up. "I wanted to talk to you."

"So you unplugged my computer? I was in the middle of a game!"

"Some things are more important than that."

"Yeah, like what?"

Tadashi grabbed Hiro firmly by his shoulders and pulled him into an embrace.

"Hey—Tadashi, let go!" Hiro struggled against his brother but he wasn't as strong. The only thing he managed to do was pretzel himself into an uncomfortable position in which his arms were sticking straight out. "Stop it!"

"Hiro, I'm trying to talk to you—"

"Well don't!"

"Cut it out, Hiro!"

"No!"

Tadashi scooped his little brother up in his arms. Hiro was still flailing, trying to get away from Tadashi but the latter had had years of practice in holding a squirming sibling. Carrying Hiro across the room, Tadashi dumped him unceremoniously on the unmade bed. Hiro went to roll off but Tadashi grabbed his ankle and pulled him back.

"I'm trying to apologize to you, Hiro!"

Suddenly, Hiro relaxed. He looked directly at Tadashi for the first time that night and wiling sat beside him.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you when you said you saw something and I'm so, so sorry," Tadashi clenched his fists. "That you got hurt. I never wanted that to happen."

From Tadashi's warm brown eyes, Hiro let his fall on the soft cast round his left hand. It was throbbing from the horseplay but he didn't really care. The ache in his chest was worse. But he couldn't give in to Tadashi without at least trying to win.

"Are you sorry about Honey?"

"What? Hiro—no."

"Why?"

Tadashi sighed. "She wasn't what I wanted to talk to you about."

"You're never home with your stupid job. And she takes up even more of your time."

"Hiro, you know the FBI has weird hours."

"Yeah, but you don't want to spend your downtime with me. And then when you go away on trips like to Europe and stuff you leave me with Fred. _Fred._ He almost burned down the house making pancakes because he wanted to be a lizrd thing, and-"

"Hey," Tadashi took Hiro's shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze, making his brother look at him through unkempt bangs. "I know things have been different since Mom and Dad died, but I have to work and this is my job. I'm doing my best."

Hiro stared at his brother. Even though his little brother didn't speak, Tadashi felt happy that his words had at least made it into Hiro's thick skull, even if the only thing that ruminated was bitterness. At least he was listening. And then Hiro finally spoke.

"But what if it's not good enough?"

Sighing, Tadashi took off his baseball cap, placing it on Hiro's head. It was big on him and and slouched off to one side. "I worry about that every day."

Hiro waited until Tadashi had closed the door behind him. Pulling his sleeves over his hands, he buried his face in them and began to cry quietly.

Downstairs, Tadashi sat opposite Honey Lemon at the table. She wore a cream peacoat over her favorite yellow sweater dress to keep out the chill of the evening. In her hands was a cup of tea and there was one waiting for Tadashi at the other end of the table.

"How'd it go?" She asked.

"Not very well. He just is having a hard time with everything."

Honey nodded. "I can't imagine what he is feeling." She glanced across the table at Tadashi who was staring intensely at the steam curls coming off of his tea. "And you too." She added. Smiling weakly, he reached across the table and took her hand, still warm from holding her mug.

"I just wonder... if it's happening again."

"If what's happening again?"

"Well, okay, this is going to sound weird." Tadashi let go of her hand and sat back in his seat, looking not at her but the wall. "Before our mom died, she sort of went a little crazy."

"What? Like how?"

Tadashi sighed. "It was like, she knew something was going to happen. She quit her job to spend more time with us, put a bunch of money into a trust fund for Hiro and I, kept telling us she loved us, stuff like that. My dad got really angry with her because she couldn't explain it. But that's not the weirdest part."

Behind her hot pink glasses, Honey's brows were furrowed, her lips pursed. It was a hard thing to hear and even harder to offer support, mostly because she hadn't been there herself. "What's the weirdest part?"

The smile that came to Tadashi's face was dark and painful. He chuckled lightly, presumably to keep from crying. "Right before the truck hit us, she grabbed my hand, _my_ hand, not my dad's, looked me in the eye and said 'It's happening.'"

* * *

"Jack, wake up." Emma was poking her brother's cheek. He was snuggled up against the armrest of the couch, chin propped against one hand and eyes opening just barely at his sister's persistence.

"Mnn, what?"

"I thought you said you had to drive home? That you couldn't stay here?"

"Give me, like, five minutes." Pulling his feet onto the couch, he took a blanket and pulled it over himself. On the other end of the couch, Elsa was sitting politely with her hands folded in her lap. Plopping down between them, Emma changed the channel to a melodramatic Hallmark Christmas special. North was upstairs, sleeping off his sober headache.

For a few minutes no one said anything. Emma watched the movie, Elsa pretended to, and Jack checked his eyelids for leaks. It wasn't until he started snoring lightly that Emma punched him in the arm.

"Ow! Hey!"

"Shhh! You're like an old man. It's not even six o'clock!"

Jack stretched. "Whatever. Don't you have homework or something to do?"

"Yeah but who is going to keep you in line if I go upstairs?"

"Ellie, of course." Jack said. Elsa shot him a questioning look. He shrugged innocently. It was only a moniker he'd come up with on a dime.

"Uh-huh, sure."

"She's one tough cookie, Emma."

"Whatever." She hit her brother with a throw pillow before turning to Elsa. "Don't let him get away with anything schmarmmy."

"Hey!" Jack called after his sister as she ran up the stairs. "I'm never schmarmmy!"

Elsa turned away from Jack to look at the TV, blushing a little. She didn't know what schmarmmy meant, but she could guess. Despite what Jack had said in the car about them being friends, Emma seemed to believe them they were something more. Elsa decided she was okay with that.

Jack had settled back into the couch again, closing his eyes. There wasn't much for Elsa to do but watch the TV. In the movie, a family was celebrating the return of a lost dog on Christmas Eve with hot cocoa and puppy kisses. She watched for few minutes more as they affixed a bright red bow to the dogs neck and took it sledding before an idea happened upon her.

As quietly as she could, Elsa stood up and tiptoed to the kitchen. She began silently opening cabinets and pantries until she found the box of hot cocoa mix nestled amongst Russian tea tins. Taking a few packets, she pulled mugs from the cabinet and placed the kettle on the stove to boil.

While the kettle was warming, she returned to the living room to check on Jack. He was now full on dozing, using his upper arm as a pillow so that his hand curled awkwardly over his head. Smiling, she felt the blush pinking her cheeks again. Turning to the TV, the noticed the scene had changed.

A couple were walking hand in hand in the snow. They stood in front of a tree tangled in lights of every color. The man took the woman gently in his arms and kissed her lips softly. The next time Jack touched her, Elsa wanted it to be like that.

"Are you making tea?" Jack mumbled, eyes still closed.

"What?" Elsa snapped back to reality. The kettle was whistling on the stove. "Oh! Oh, sorry!" Rushing back to the kitchen, Elsa shut off the stove and poured the hot water into two mugs. Jack was readjusting himself when she walked back in with the mugs of cocoa, offering him the red one while she took the one with the chip on the rim for herself.

With wide eyes, Jack accepted the mug. "Wow, thanks Elsa. I have to say, I didn't expect this. What's this for, anyway?"

"Well," she took a sip and licked the warm chocolate from her upper lip. "I noticed you do a lot of things for other people. Me, Hiro, Emma, your dad... I thought you might like it if someone did something nice for you."

Jack grinned and Elsa had to look away. "Well," he said. "Cheers to that."

"Cheers?"

"Here, like this," Jack lightly tapped his mug against hers. "Then you say, cheers! And drink."

"Like this?" Elsa repeated the gesture, tapping her mug against his. "Cheers!" She sipped from her drink and Jack did the same.

"There you go." He said. "You've got it now. Here," Jack moved his legs off the couch so Elsa wold have a place to sit. "Come join me."

Setting her cocoa on the floor, Elsa sat next to Jack and pulled a corner of the blanket over her lap. A slow, calm feeling began to settle over her. And then Jack would wiggle on the other end of the sofa and it would stir up her heart like butterflies. Like a child, he seemed to have a hard time holding still for long periods of time.

And then suddenly the couple was on the TV screen again, kissing as snow fell around them. She looked at Jack and then to her lap, then back at Jack.

"Hey, um, Jack?"

"Yeah?" His nose tickled with the delicate scent of plumeria and he turned to see Elsa's face inches from his own. The kiss that touched his lips was so soft and graceful that if it weren't for the taste of chocolate, he would have thought it was a dream.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks everyone for all of the reviewssss! I had a ton of fun writing this chapter, mostly because there was lots of sibling banter but also because YAY! Jelsa finally happened. It only took me seventeen chapters but hey! There you have it. Please let me know what you think! :3 I also want to take a moment to thank Sanaa11, Standasawitness, MixyBell, and Jack Frost 1345. You guys have been with me from the beginning and have always been faithful to review so I just want to say thanks a ton, you guys are great and I always love hearing from you. CHEERS! -Kay**


	18. Chapter 18

The Wings

Chapter 18

He didn't kiss her back.

"Jack—"

Lying on his back, her hands were on either sides of his hips, supporting her weight.

"Elsa, why?" She blinked in confusion at his question. "Why would you do something like that?"

"I just—I'm sorry. I don't know, I just felt for you... what those people felt for each other. I wanted you to know. I'm sorry."

Elsa began to recoil but Jack grabbed her face, pulling her back so that she had to look him in the eye.

"No you don't," he whispered through clenched teeth. She was about to say his name but he kissed her with closed lips. She felt warm and cold, a paradigm fleshing through her skin in a shiver. When Jack felt her gently suckling back, he opened his mouth, tasting her completely.

It was nothing like she had dreamed. She was clumsy and he couldn't be gentle. When he would nibble or lick, he could feel her startle against his passionate desire. With his hands he would pull her back to him, fitting her hips to his with one hand as he stroked her cheek with the other.

Suddenly, Jack wrapped his arms around Elsa's torso and flipped the both of them so that she was sandwiched between him and the back of the couch. Elsa gasped, Jack giving

her only a moment to catch her breath before he was on top of her again, touching every piece of her with his own body.

Elsa broke the kiss and she heard Jack moan as she did so, tucking his head into the bend of her neck so he could kiss her exposed breastbone.

"Ja—Jack..." she said, gasping for air. Her cheeks were the bright color of a rose and her head felt like it was full of stars. With every breath Jack took she could feel his soft exhale on her shoulder, sending a new tantra of shivers down her back.

"Mmhmm?"

"What just... what just happened?"

Grinning, Jack pulled her closer to him, tangling his legs with hers. Her heart was thrumming in her ears.

" Lyubov' sil'neye strakha, baby."

* * *

When he was driving home, she didn't look at him. Her forehead was resting against the cold window, which felt good against her flushed skin. She pretended to look at the passing street lights but her thoughts were on the burning memory of their tangle. She wanted it again.

They didn't speak as they parked and returned to his apartment. Elsa silently went to change and Jack unloaded his pockets on the kitchen counter. His wallet, his keys, his phone with a new text message. From Zel.

 _Hey how r u?_

The truth was his desire to return her text was non-existant. He didn't even think it would be wise to return it out of supposed courtesy. Deep down they both knew she was apathetic to how his day had gone. The ulterior motive was to see if he just might be interested in swallowing his pride and apologizing so they could try again. Even after using her, trying to snog her friend (albeit unknowingly), she still wanted to be with him because the thought of being alone was more terrifying than accepting his subpar affections. Not responding was really the only mercy he could offer her.

So he plugged his phone in and set it on the counter.

When he turned around, Elsa was standing in the threshold of the bathroom door, her fingers running through the waves her braid had left. She scrunched it tight and then let it fall like mist around her face. From where he was standing he could smell her. He remembered the taste of chocolate.

"You were supposed to be dressing down." He said. Elsa raised one eyebrow, not quite understanding.

"I'm sorry. I mean—" The prickle of heat began at his collar, spreading like a hot fever. "There isn't much that could make you look bad." Or something. He hoped it sounded good.

"Oh. Thank you."

"I'm sorry, I—" Elsa's finger was on his lips before he could finish. "Don't apologize again. She whispered. He closed his eyes, a shiver falling from his shoulders.

"Can I touch you?" Jack's voice was hushed, only for her ears.

She put her hands on either side of his face and leaned close enough to smell the scent of pine behind his ear. His hands fell to her hips, pulling her closer so that their stomachs touched and then their chests. It made him dizzy with excitement. Taking a breath, he pecked her cheek. Underneath his lips Jack could feel her blush blooming.

So he wrapped his arms around her waist and hoisted her off the ground.

"Jack—" Elsa giggled as he twirled her in a circle. "What are you—Oomph!"

Jack pulled her down onto the bed with him. Still laughing, she brushed the wisps of hair that had fallen on her face away. Pouncing, Jack leaned in and kissed her forehead for a long moment, taking time to cherish the opportunity to be so close to her.

Elsa's hand slipped under his shirt to touch bare skin. Her fingers ghosted over his stomach, his ribs, and his broad chest. Her fingers were over his heart, feeling its rhythm. Obligingly, Jack grabbed the hem of his shirt and shimmied out of it, ripping it over his head and tossing it away. Agile as a cat, he descended on Elsa again, locking her in a deep kiss as he pushed her back down to the bed.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, ambiguously stroking his unkempt hair with one hand. He broke the liplock to kiss her cheek, her ear, her jawline... and continue down.

"Wait!" Elsa squirmed just as he nibbled the soft spot on her neck, causing her to groan and twist.

"Mnn?" Jack nuzzled the same sport, her body curling towards his. But then she planted her hands against his chest and pushed him away.

"Just—just stop for a minute."

He almost reiterated her permission to touch her but decided against it. Deep down he knew it was selfish even if he wanted more. "What's wrong?" His voice was tight.

"I feel... weird."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"No, no, that's not what I meant." Jack carefully brushed a her hair behind her ear. The moonlight illuminated the blue in her eyes. "We can stop if you want."

"I think I need to." Elsa said softly. "I'm sor—" Jack kissed her quickly before she could finish her sentence.

"For a minute I thought you were going to apologize." He said.

Smiling, Elsa scooched back into his arms, her forehead touching his breastbone. "Wouldn't dream of it." Wouldn't dream of anything but you.

* * *

"Tadashi...?" Hiro opened his brother's door. The bed was unmade but his room was tidy and typical; devoid of personality. It smelled slightly of sandalwood, indicating that Tadashi had used cologne before leaving, probably for work.

But before 6 AM? Sighing, Hiro closed the door and walked downstairs. Sure enough there was a chicken-scratch note on the kitchen island and a dirty cereal bowl in the sink.

 _Sorry, emergency at work. Ask Gogo if you need anything._

"What? Gogo?" Hiro muttered.

"Yes?"

"Ah!" Hiro jumped, having not even noticed Gogo sitting quietly in an armchair on the other side of the room. She wore a simple red dolman sweater and yoga pants, a cup of hot tea in her hands. Even at this hour her eye makeup was immaculate.

"I—I just didn't see you that's all. But, uh, why are you here?"

Gogo shrugged. "Tadashi said he had a big case. He also said you and Honey had some issue—"

"What? We did not! He's—"

"Well, whatever, I don't really care. He just asked me to come by and make sure you got to school okay."

"Yeah, I'm fine." Hiro muttered, turning to go back up to his room and get ready for the day. "I've done it a hundred times before by myself."

"Since the break in?"

Hiro froze on the third step. He didn't want her words to weigh as much as they did. "Well, no..."

"It's more for your brother than you." Gogo continued. "I trust you can put on your pants by yourself and if you can't then that's sad and I'm not doing it. But Tadashi had a hard time

leaving you this morning, Hiro."

* * *

"You'll never finish school. What about your scholarship? What about an apartment? What about food? What about—about—"

"Aunt Cass, it's okay. I have financial aid, it will cover everything and if it doesn't I'll just get a job."

"Tadashi, you think you and Hiro can just live in the dorms!? Is he going to sleep in your closet?"

"No, I'll modify it and say that I have a dependent. They have family housing."

"You're not even eighteen yet!"

"I will be in another month."

"And then the month after that you start school. It's too much." A pregnant silence. Hiro pressed his ear against the door. Aunt Cass started speaking again.

"Tadashi, I love you. I love Hiro. He needs stability and you need to build your life. Your parents just passed and I understand it is hard and you want that family unity, but think about Hiro. He's not going far. You could even try to transfer down to San Francisco in a—Tadashi?"

His brother's voice sounded wet and broken as he spoke. "I—I can't, Cass. He—he needs me. We've always been together. Someone has to take care of him."

"Oh , 'Dashi. It's okay. It's okay." There was nothing else for a moment but the soft sound of Tadashi weeping. It made Hiro feel cold. He imagined himself as a statue. Hiro the statue. Nothing could hurt him. Tadashi could stand behind him and Hiro would be strong for his brother.

Then Aunt Cass was speaking again. "I know you think Hiro living with you is what is best for the two of you, but I want you to consider what is best for Hiro."

Nothing. Hiro tried to peer through the crack in the door jam to see what was happening but all he could see were Tadashi's knees and table legs.

"You have to make a lot of very grown-up decisions and it's not fair. I'm so, so sorry, Tadashi."

Hiro pushed open the door. As he looked at his remaining family he could hear the words _how much did he hear?_ Echoeing through their skulls. With wide eyes, Aunt Cass and Tadashi stared as the ten year old as he walked silently to his brother. Hiro pulled Tadashi's hand from his lap and squeezed it.

"I want to go home." He whispered.

* * *

 **A/N: Jelsa heavy chapter. And Hiro and Tadashi angst! ...As always, thank you everyone for your lovely, lovely reviews. It makes me so happy to see them, especially those familiar faces who are always sure to let me know what they think. You all are amazing and you da bomb. -Kay**


	19. Chapter 19

The Wings

Chapter 19

Jack pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he stared at the laptop screen, trying to decide which white lie to tell. Where, exactly, did he suspect Elsa would go next? Judging by her ever increasing appetite, the kitchen to finish off the last of his Oreos.

Pulling off the glasses, he began rubbing his sore eyes. It was rather intriguing how she was eating more and more as the days passed. Back in the lab she had never exhibited signs of hunger and showed no desire for the food offered. If he was still working for the university, this would have made an excellent case study. Present day, he would have to find an ingenious story to tell Agent Hamada if he asked why Jack's grocery bills had suddenly doubled.

But one problem at a time. He was writing this god-awful report for said agent and he needed to fabricate something believable. Where oh where would a bereaved and lonely angel find herself?

His phone vibrated on the bed beside him. Emma's name was on the screen. Further up Zel's text was still unanswered as well as several from Professor Jane, Astrid, and Hiccup. Everyone was begging for his attention and responsibility. Stealing a glance at Elsa, he noticed that she was sitting quietly on the couch, her feet curled under her and a magazine open on her lap. The one person who wasn't begging was the one he wanted to give it most to.

Abruptly, Jack shut his laptop with a click and rolled off the bed.

"Get your sheos on." He said. "Oh, and a coat."

"What?" Elsa stood up to follow him. "Wait, why?"

"Because we're going out." He said, a mischievous grin on his face.

"I thought you had to write that report...?"

"I do, but I'm kind of over responsibility." Jack said as he held up his moto jacket for her.

"What did you have in mind?" She asked, shrugging the over sized jacked on. Without an answer to her question, Jack took her hand and lead her out the door and into the chill-bitten wind. Fall was fading into winter and the air was so brisk it made her cheeks turn pink as it kissed her skin. Never before had the cold hit her like this.

"I want you to see things like I have for so long." Jack said, leading her down the sidewalk. "It's a pretty day, let's just go for a walk, I'll buy you coffee, it will be a perfectly boring day."

"Ha," Elsa matched his stride, walking beside him with her hand tucked beside his in his jacket pocket. "I thought boring had a negative connotation?"

"I thought you, uh," _Liked to watch people fall in love._ "...would want to see what it is to be like us all day long."

Elsa smiled. She wasn't quite sure what Jack had been about to say, but the way he scratched the back of his head told her it was something sweet.

And then the memory took the air from her lungs so quickly she was choking. The soft smell of jasmine wafted from crumpled blankets and a child's stuffed toys. The room was black as sin, but she could feel the warm of a body beneath her hand.

Stroking his forehead. She was stroking his forehead, that's why. His breathing was soft with sleep and his mouth open so that a puddle of drool collected on his pillow. As her eyes adjusted she brushed the hair from his eyes, admiring the innocence his face still possessed.

"Wha—" A robot doll, toy cars, and the tracks hit the floor with a sharp bang. Startled, Elsa turned to see a woman standing in the threshold of the room, her skin speckled by the dinosaur night light. "G-Get away from him—"

Beneath Elsa's touch, the child stirred but didn't wake. Narrowing her eyes, Elsa got to her feet, not quite sure if this woman was actually speaking to her, as not many people ever did. Not many people ever could.

"I said get away from him." The woman repeated. Her face was pale, her hair brown and pulled neatly away from her face. The dress she wore was as blue as midnight and her eyes had a familiarity that she could not place.

"You can see me?" Elsa said softly. "You shouldn't be able to."

"What do you want with him?"

Like sand, the grains of the memory were falling away again. The night was gone, replaced with the sky so blue and bright it made her blink. Jack's slightly chapped fingers rubbing against her own skin, his thumb massaging her back of her hand. The soft scent of jasmine was gone, replaced by the salt of the bay and cinnamon of late November.

Still a little dazed by the cold memory, Elsa took quick breaths to fill her chest.

"Elsa?"

Looking away from Jack for a moment to regain her composure, Elsa turned her attention to the ground only to find that Jack had lead her onto a causeway over a narrow water passage. Beneath their feet was not cement but steel grates so that they could see a small trawler boat puffing beneath them. It was a little frightening after her... episode.

"Jack!" Elsa squeezed his fingers and rolled back onto the balls of her feet. "Is this safe?"

He laughed. "It's perfectly safe. It's even prettier at night when the boats have their lights on."

"Why don't they just make a normal bridge? This doesn't seem safe at all!"

A bell began ringing incessantly. On either side of the bridge, red lights began flashing.

"Because it's a drawbridge. Come on." Tugging Elsa behind him, Jack lead her off the bridge so that they could watch it raise perpendicular to the ground. The ringing stopped when the bridge reached maximum height and a sailboat drifted quietly through the gap, its sails pulled tight against the towering mast. Once the ship was through, the ringing and flashing began again as the bridge returned to its former state.

"Oh, that's—"

"I have something else I want to show you." Jack said, leading her away. He reminded Elsa of a puppy, happy to display chewed rawhide bones to anyone who would care to listen. She also noticed he hadn't let go of her hand since they had started walking. The safety of his touch made her blush.

Jack took her to a store outlined by a wrought iron fence covered in old-growth rose bushes. On a chilly day like today the veranda was empty, but the inside of the store was humming with activity. Inside, it was warm and smelled earthy and fresh.

"Have you ever had coffee before?" Jack asked, his lips close to her ear.

"No," she replied. "But I have a lot of firsts with you."

Jack grinned. "First Chinese food."

"First cheers."

"First dangerous drawbridge."

"First kiss."

"What?" Jack's smile grew as his blush deepened. "Really? Is that true?"

Her head was tilted down and her long lashes fluttered like the wings of butterflies before their focus collided. He was still red in the face, an idiot grin resting on his lips. Elsa nodded.

"Eh, mate, you gonna order?" The burly man behind them said impatiently. "I'm getting' old over here, yeah?"

"Oh!" Jack snapped back to reality. Blithely he ordered some sort of latte for each of them before getting out of the way of the man behind them. He mumbled some ridiculous name like 'Bunny,' but Jack had to have misheard him.

They were walking to the other side of the coffee bar when through the tangle of customers, Jack spied another pretty blonde girl and a shabby brunette with his hand in hers.

"Oh no—"

Elsa tilted her head. "He looks familiar. Is that—"

"Jack! Hey, Jack!" Hiccup called.

"Ah," He popped Elsa's hood over her head and turned her away from Hiccup. Reeling on his heels, Jack plastered a smile on his face. "Hiccup! It's good to see you."

"Wow," Astrid said, joining the boys. "Could you be anymore insincere?"

Elsa was slowly sidling away, gripping her hood around her face.

"I could if I wanted to be a frosty bitch." Jack responded without missing a beat.

"Uh, okay. A little uncalled for." Hiccup replied. "You kind of look weird, Jack. Everything okay? Are you getting questioned by the police too?"

"Well, yeah." Jack let his shoulders relax, happy for the easy out his friend had unknowingly afforded him. "It's a lot. And Emma's home and just stuff."

"Yeah, stuff." Hiccup agreed. "But hey, I just want you to know that we're here for you in this, okay? Jane is too, even though she's, you know, too busy to call. That's just her. But you probably know that by now..."

Elsa slid out the door and onto the street. It was mostly devoid of people, so she would be easy to spot. She quickened her steps, knowing that if Hiccup and Astrid recognized her there would be contention. Jack was a smooth talker but she doubted he could fish them out of Hiccup's honest hands.

She was half a block away when the word bit her conscience. _Disobedience._ It throbbed behind her left eye and she covered it with her palm, wincing in pain. _Disobedience._

"I—I—" With her eyes closed she could see the joy glimmering in its yellow eyes. Vicious teeth reflected the sparse light, muscles rippling under a fur coat as black as death.

And then she felt it soft against her hand. Beneath her fingers she could feel its shoulder blades lifting with each step as it moved in slow circles around her. Opening her eyes would mean admitting that the image on the back of her eye lids was real and sizing her up.

"Please stop..."

"You must make amends." The voice in herh ead was raspy and dry as though thirsty with need.

"I didn't do anything wrong." Elsa said aloud.

"You don't even remember."

"Then how can I make amends?"

A sly laugh that threatened her intelligence. "Just hold still—ah..." Elsa felt the sharp prick of teeth at her wrist. Jerking her hand away, she felt the familiar cool sensation rush through every vein on her body. The air temperature around them dropped rapidly, turning the lingering rain puddles on the sidewalk into thick sheets of ice. Opening her eyes, she looked to find her opponent, but she was alone.

"Els—woah!" Jack began to call out to her but his foot landed on the fresh ice and slipped out from under him. He tried to keep his balance by grabbing for a lamp post but fell instead, cracking his knee caps against the solid surface.

"Jack!" Elsa walked across the ice as though it wasn't even there. Taking Jack's hand, she helped him to his feet. His skin was so much warmer than she remembered.

* * *

 **A/N: Omg this chapter gave me a heart attack. I opened a mislabeled file and it wasn't this chapter and I wanted to die. But I found the right one, finished it up, and here it is just in time for Christmas. Enjoy, enjoy, and happy holidays to all! :3**


	20. Chapter 20

The Wings

Chapter 20

"Elsa, your hands." Jack let her help him up, his footing still uneven. "They're so cold."

She pulled away, drawing her shoulders in so she looked small. "It's just the breeze."

"Wait," Jack put both of his hands on her cheeks. "Your skin is as cold as ice."

"It's okay. It's okay, Jack." Elsa brushed his hands away quickly. He felt like fire.

"No, it's actually not. What happened to you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Elsa, look." Jack gestured to the path of ice she had left in her wake. Confused pedestrians navigated carefully to their cars with coffee and other parcels. It wasn't a simple sheet of black ice, but inches of solid water. "Something just happened. What was that something?"

Pretty white teeth and lusty yellow eyes flashed in the back of her mind's eye. The memory of dark fur on her hand made her skin crawl. She blinked it away. Under the bandages on her back she could remeber the separation of her wings from her body, the cold air against her exposed flesh.

"I can't—"

Jack took both of her hands and squeezed them so hard it hurt. "Where are you going?"

"What?"

"You're eyes are closed but you're seeing something, right?" She nodded slowly in response.

"Good. I want you to know you aren't there, okay? But I want you to tell me what you're seeing so I can help you."

Elsa exhaled, her shoulders slumping. Suddenly tears speckled her long black lashes. "I don't have all the answers, Jack." He could hardly hear her voice.

"That's okay." Jack took her trembling shoulders and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her until she stopped shaking. "We're going to find them together, alright?"

"You have a lot of confidence."

To this, Jack laughed. "Yeah, it's been called something else by other people."

Elsa raised an eyebrow, savvy to his method of distraction but also thankful. "Maybe arrogance?"

Jack threw his around over her shoulder as they began walking back to the apartment. "Geez, it's like you're a mind reader."

"No, I just know you, Jack Frost."

"Woah there. That's a big statement."

"I've known you for over a year."

"Only through glass. It's much better now that I get to hear you're actual voice." Jack brushed her earlobe with his thumb. He didn't feel as hot but the subtle affection made her feel so. "And I get to touch you. That's pretty cool too."

Elsa leaned her head against his shoulder. She let her eyes close. Like in a knife in her gut, she heard it again. _Disobedience._ The air in her lungs was gone, swallowed up by the immensity of the haunting phrase.

Stopping him, she said, "I have to tell you something."

With a grin, his cobalt eyes met her own. "Shoot." He had the expectation that she would share the place that her mind wandered to to when her face became pale and blank. There wasn't an absolution, only a miasma of uncertainty.

"I think I did something bad, Jack."

He paused to take this in. It wasn't what he had been anticipating but it was something from deep inside of her and he had to respect her for that. "You think or you know?"

"I... I think."

"Well, why do you think that?"

For a moment, Elsa was silent, leaving room for Jack to brush his finger across her cheek. Centuries of silent communication did little to help her find the words she was looking for. It was easy to see the shapes moving in the dark and remember the rapid beat of her heart, the feeling of cold sweat on the nape of her neck. Somehow the descriptive words she needed couldn't make it past her tongue.

"Because something is looking for me. To reprimand me and make it right."

Jack held his breath. This certainly was even more departed from his expectation than he could have imagined. It sounded both far-fetched and fantastical. Which really meant it fit perfectly into the life he was currently leading.

"What can I do?" He said.

Jack felt her relax against him, so he slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her a little closer. Their strides fell in time as he did so.

"You're so nice." She said.

"Well, I care about you. So, how can I help? How can I help you, uh, make it right?"

Elsa frowned. "I don't even know what I did. I don't remember."

It was Jack's turn to raise his eyebrows. "Then how can we make it right, as you put it? How do you even know you did something wrong?"

"My sister Anna told me."

"Wait, your sister? When did you meet with her?"

Elsa sighed. "In your father's shop, Jack. Does it really matter?"

"Wow," Jack stopped her. "Yes, yes it does. If this happened in the shop—if what is looking for you—wait, did the thing take your wings?"

Slowly, Elsa nodded.

"Oh geez. So it could hurt you again. It could hurt Dad, and Emma—" He let go of her and turned away, running his fingers through his hair. It had never been like this before. There were people he had to protect and take responsibility for. People he loved. Jack looked over his shoulder at Elsa, starting with her stunning eyes, brimming with guilt, falling down the supple curves of her body.

"Jack, did I say something wrong?" Fear was nipping at the heels of her words. The trust she had extended to him was threatened by her own insecurities and now she needed to apply his reassurance to her ego like a band-aid.

That much he could give her. Closing the distance between them, Jack took her into his arms again and kissed her forehead. "No. No, you didn't. I'm glad you told me. It's just a lot to process, you know."

"Are you scared?" She asked.

"What? Scared?"

"Yes. For your family."

Jack sighed. "Yeah. I mean, I am. You said it appeared in my dad's shop."

"Not it." Elsa replied. "My sister. She came to warn me. But don't be afraid for them, Jack. It can only touch you if you've tipped the balance of reality."

"Ha, yeah, that's super reassuring."

* * *

Hiro rubbed his freshly un-stitched cut through the bandages. It still hurt a little and was itchy, but he would live. Raising his good fist, Hiro wrapped three times on Jack's door. Silence followed. He knocked again. Nothing. Odd, Jack and Elsa were usually here given the delicate nature of her existence.

He glanced up and down the hall. It was deserted save for the fly dancing lazily in the pale light that filtered in through the grimy windows. Hiro returned his attention to the door. He had to get in. Jack still had his backpack and Tadashi was complaining that Hiro had lost it. Before things got out of hand he had to get it back. Taking a deep breath, he took a ball point pen from his pocket. Unscrewing the top, Hiro removed the ink cartridge and slipped the tip into the lock. With his tongue poking out from between his lips, he swiped it clockwise and counterclockwise until the lock released.

"Yes!" Hiro slipped into Jack's apartment. Truly, it was immaculate. The counters were clear of clutter and the sugar sat in a decorative jar beside the coffee pot. The matching couches were eloquently arranged around a coffee table with Southern Living and Pottery Barn magazines displayed in an even stack. In the far corner, the bed was cleanly made and turned down. The air had a strong scent of lemon.

This wasn't Jack's apartment.

"Oh crap!" Hiro quickly shut the door and ran down the hall to what he could only hope was the correct apartment. Repeating the procedure on this lock, Hiro worked it until it popped open. In this apartment, there were books and mail on every surface. The bed was mussed and there was a makeshift one on the couch. Unwashed dishes were piled in the sink and there was a half-full bottle of Jameson on the counter. This was definitely Jack's apartment.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Hiro began digging through Jack's belongings. He started with the floors, kicking aside anything auspicious enough to hide a backpack underneath it. When that proved fruitless, he started with the closets and cupboards. At the bottom of the first closet he checked, Hiro found what he was looking for, hidden beside the dusty vacuum cleaner and tangles of Christmas lights.

"Bingo!" Pulling the backpack from the clutter, he felt the minor weight of the feathers still inside. Unzipping it, he could see that the blood that had once been bright was now brown and crusted on the stark white of Elsa's feathers.

It broke his heart. She was beautiful. These feathers were a lasting memory of her pain. Hiro could remember the way she grabbed for Jack, the weakness that accompanied her massive blood loss. The sight of the open wounds on her back.

His stomach turned upside down. Swallowing hard, Hiro knew he had to get rid of the feathers. Running to the window, he threw it open and tossed the feathers out. Shaking it hard, he let the wind carry them away. Strays that were too laden with her blood drifted to the alley below, but the majority were swept away in the breeze.

And then his pocket began vibrating. When Hiro pulled the phone out of his pocket he saw _Broser_ on the lock screen. Groaning, Hiro opened the phone and put it to his ear.

"What? I'm in class, Tadashi."

"No you're not."

Hiro felt himself go cold. "Wh-what? Of course I am. I'm right here in first period. I mean, I stepped out when I saw you were calling, but you know, it could be important and—"

"Hiro, I don't know what the hell you are doing, but I'm a block away from where you are and—"

"What? How do you even know where I am?"

"Because I'm your brother and I know everything."

"You bugged my phone, you weasel."

Tadashi sighed into his receiver. "You better be outside when I pull up." The phone went dead. Hiro stuffed his phone back into his pocket, ran for the door, barely shutting it completely on his way out. The last thing he wanted was for Tadashi to see him in Jack's apartment building.

But he was too late. As Hiro came skidding out the front door, Tadashi was sitting on his red Vespa, Hiro's helmet tucked into the crook of his arm. When he saw the backpack in Hiro's hands Tadashi's eyes narrowed and his lips became thin with anger.

"Are you serious, Hiro?"

"What? I was—I was—" Hiro grasped for a new lie to tell but nothing easy or believable came to mind, "Well, you bugged my phone! That's not fair!"

"What do you expect me to do, Hiro?" Tadashi seethed. "Break-ins, skipping school, fraternization with suspects in my case? How can I trust you anymore? How do I know you aren't wrapped up in this somehow?"

"But—"

Tadashi shoved the helmet into Hiro's hands, almost making him drop his backpack. "Get on."

"Wait, Tadashi—"

"Now!"

Hiro looked at his shoes so he wouldn't have to meet Tadashi's eyes. The disappointment was crippling. Buckling his helmet, Hiro climbed onto the back and put his arms around Tadashi's waist. Tadashi ripped out of the parking lot, making the tires of the Vespa scream as he did so.

Driving up the street, he saw a couple with fair hair holding hands as they walked down the sidewalk. When they saw the Vespa, the man quickly put a hood over the womans head.

And Hiro realized who it was. His heart dropped, wondering how many more people he could possibly fail today.

For the rest of the drive, they were both silent. When they arrived at the townhouse, Tadashi pulled up to the curb and cut the engine. Without a word, he collected his things and walked into the house.

"Wait," Hiro scrambled after him. "Tadashi, aren't you working today?"

"Oh, I was." Tadashi tossed his keys on the kitchen island so hard they skidded across the smooth surface and fell off the other side. "That is, until the principal called to tell me that you had skipped school _again_."

"No, I can—"

"Stop, Hiro. I don't want to hear it. Do you know what it is like? Do you know what it's like to live this way?"

Hiro took a step back. "Wh-what do you mean Tadashi?"

"You're so, so smart, Hiro. And yet, here you are, skipping classes, lying to my face, and then I find you—" Tadashi paused to grind his teeth together. "I find you at a criminal suspects' house retrieving your fucking backpack! What the hell? Seriously, what the hell, Hiro?"

"Tadashi, I—"

"You're running around wasting your life, wasting everything I have given you. For all I know you might be involved in a kidnapping! I can't save you from this! You're so destructive and I just can't stop you!"

Tadashi had his back to Hiro, who thought it was better that way. He didn't want his brother to see the hot tears on his cheeks. He felt ashamed for crying. Again. But he had no words with which to explain to his brother the immensity of the situation. Tadashi just wouldn't understand. Hiro deemed him incapable.

Biting his lip, Hiro pulled the phone from his pocket. "You want to see destructive, Tadashi? Fine!" Hiro hurled the phone at his brother. It smashed into the wooden cabinet next to Tadashi's head, shattering into three sepearate pieces.

"Hiro! What the—"

Grabbing his brother's keys from the floor, Hiro ran out the door , leaving Tadashi with the broken pieces.

* * *

Distantly, Tadashi could hear the echo of his name. He felt heat against his right leg and the world was swimming out of focus as his vision pulsated painfully. The colors were bleeding into one another and something clammy and cold held his wrist tight.

"Please!" The desperate voice of his brother was the anchor holding him to reality. Blinking rapidly, his clarity began to return. Tadashi found that he was tipped uncomfortably to the side, something thick and coarse cutting into his neck. From where he was sitting he could that the windshield was gone. There was blood all over the dashboard.

"Tadashi!" Hiro's voice was so hoarse from screaming. "Please! Please!"

Craning his head to the left, Tadashi didn't know if he should feel relief or despair. It was too difficult to choose and emotion. Hiro's knees were curled to his chest, forced there by a spire of metal that had pierced through the car door. His breaths were rapid and he was quivering like a rabbit. Pinning him into his corner of the car was the driver's seat, weighed down by the cold body of their mother, her brown hair matted with blood. Her hand was still wrapped around Tadashi's wrist.

"Help me, help me," Hiro whimpered. As far as Tadashi could tell, Hiro didn't have so much as a scraped knee.

Swallowing the bile rising in his throat, Tadashi pried his mother's fingers off of his wrist and unbuckled his seat belt. Shimmying out from under debris, he reached over to grab Hiro's hand. " _Watashi wa kochira._ I'm right here."

"Ta—Ta—Tada—" Hiro panted, squeezing his brother's hand weakly.

"Shh, shh, it's okay. They're coming for us. It's almost over."

Hiro's lips were shaking uncontrollably. "Y-you pr-prom-m-ise?"

Tadashi placed Hiro's trembling hand over his heart. "Absolutely."

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks guys for sticking with me. Big thank you to Sanaa and Smile, my two lovely reviewers from last chapter. On a completely random note, over the holiday I watched not RotG, BH6, and Frozen with my family because we are big disnerds. And my mom says WAAAAH ANNA IS YOUR PRINCESS! So I guess my personality is a lot like Anna. At least I get to stuff chocolate in my face. :P ANYWAY! Thanks for reading, please leave a review and let me know what you think. -Kay**


	21. Chapter 21

The Wings

Chapter 21

Hiro drummed his fingers against the balcony edge. The steel railings were still wet with thick drops of dew from the evening fog. Now that the sun had set, winking stars could be seen amidst the patches of gray clouds. He took his right hand off. turning it over to look at the palm, realizing he had gotten the bandage wet. He wiped it on his shirt before sticking it in his pocket.

"Sometimes I wish I could have a family." Hiro said. "Like, a real one."

A soft smile parted Elsa's lips. "Sometimes I wish the same thing."

"You?" Hiro whipped around to look at her. "But you—you're like, an angel with magic powers and can fly and do amazing things!"

"That doesn't mean I don't want to experience love."

"Oh." Tucking the back of his hand under his chin, Hiro leaned against the wet railing again. "I guess I didn't think about that."

"Can I see your hand?"

"What?"

"Your hand, Hiro." Elsa touched his shoulder. "Can I see it?"

"Uh, sure." Rolling back his sleeve to expose the bandage, he offered it to her. Tenderly, she began ghosting her fingers across the expanse of gauze.

Muffled words in Russian slipped under the door crack. Emma was telling someone to sit down unkindly, followed by Jack saying something neither she nor Hiro could understand.

"How did this happen?" Elsa asked, ignoring the sounds from beyond the door.

"A dog attacked me."

"I see. Where did this happen?"

He looked up at her, his face a little paler than it had been a moment ago. "Does it matter?"

Folding his fingers into his palm, she said, "I guess not. Does that feel better, Hiro?"

He flexed his hand, the tightness of his stitches gone, straining only against the restricting bandage. Unhooking the latch, he unraveled the gauze to find that the wound was gone, leaving nothing but a jagged pink cut where the bite had been.

"Wow!" He said, wiggling his fingers. "That's so cool! How did you do that?"

Elsa smiled, bringing her index finger to her lips. "Amazing magic stuff, I guess."

His shoulders slouched, a soft blush coming to his cheeks. "You're pretty awesome. Like, I read so much about you for so long. And now, you're here. It's pretty cool."

"You mean you read all of those news articles about me?"

"No, not quite." He averted his eyes to the view off the balcony. "I hacked into Jack's computer when he worked at the university and read all of the confidential files on you." From the corner of his eye, Hiro glanced at Elsa again. "That's not weird is it? Wait, why are you laughing?"

"Oh, Hiro, you're curious to a fault."

"Ah ha, yeah." Hiro looked at his shoes, biting his lip.

"Something wrong?"

"Nothing." He kicked a pebble off of the balcony. "Well, I mean, my mom used to say that about me. But it's nothing."

"Ah," Elsa put her hands back on the railing too. "I see."

He said nothing, staring at the street below. The lights from the toy store window on the first floor spilled onto the pavement below, giving it a warm glow that illuminated the pebbled that he had kicked onto the asphalt. The possible rates of velocity were easier to meditate on than the phantom words his mother used to say.

Elsa slung her arm around Hiro's should, pulling him to her in a side hug. Running her fingers through his messy hair, she bent over and gave him a light kiss on his forehead.

"Wow!" His cheeks turned bright red. "Uh, wh-what was that?" He wiggled a little, but not too much. Even though his face was burning, he was pretty comfortable with Elsa's arm around him.

"Your mother loved you very much, Hiro."

"Oh, you think so?" He asked. A bitter memory, his last one, of her cold hand in Tadashi's, not his own. He blinked rapidly, forcing it away.

Elsa rubbed his temple, pressing her face into his hair. "I know so."

His hair smelled as sweet as spun sugar and was just as coarse and thick as she remembered. Touching his skin was fire to her memory, burning away her mental fog to bring back the memory of jasmine, dinosaur night ights, and a sleeping child surrounded by stuffed toys while his mother wept on the floor.

"Please," she whispered through tears. "Don't hurt him."

"I'm not going to hurt him." Elsa whispered.

"Then why—why are you here?"

The boy stirred, pulling a graying doll that resembled a marshmallow with arms and legs against his chest.

Elsa brushed the tips of her fingers over his bare arms. He moved towards her touch.

"Stop." His mother whispered through clenched teeth.

"I'm not taking him tonight. But soon." She said. "I like to see them before, so I can know what to say. They're usually scared."

The woman's jaw dropped. "You've done this before? To how many?"

Elsa's eyes dropped, refusing the woman's gaze. There wasn't an answer she could substantiate. "You still have time with him. It won't be for until after the next moon."

"The moon—you mean next month?

Elsa nodded. "Yes, that's what you call it."

"He's so young. So young." She crawled across the floor like a peasant, taking the crystal hem of Elsa's dress in her hands, worrying the fringe. "There has to be something I can do. He hasn't had even a quarter of the life he deserves."

Like a statue, Elsa remained where she was, trying to remain indifferent. "What is meant to be is meant to be. I cannot change anything."

"He's ten."

"I hear he's very smart, too."

To this, the woman gasped, her mouth an ugly hole as she inhaling deeply so she wouldn't sob and wake her son. Quiet tears dripped down her cheeks and onto Elsa's skirt. Kneeling, she placed a hand under the woman's chin and tilted it upward so they were eye to eye.

"Don't worry, you and your husband are will join him."

The woman's jaw fell silently and her eyes drifted, staring through Elsa but not at her.

"What about Tadashi?"

"Excuse me?" Elsa said.

"Tadashi. Hiro has a brother. You said I'm dying with Hiro and so is my husband. What about Tadashi? Are you going to leave him alone?"

"It's not my decision—"

The woman pounded the floor with her fist. "You can't do that! You can't just leave him! I won't be there, he needs someone!"

Elsa blinked, aghast at her reaction. "I thought you'd be happy that Hiro—"

"No, no I'm not!" She had a finger out that she was waving at Elsa like a weapon. "You know why? Because he is a child! I want to pick out his college, not his coffin! I want to meet the woman he brings home, show her his naked baby pictures and scrutinize her hair! And Tadashi—Tadashi—"

She ran her fingers through her own hair, pulling it hard as she got the ends. "He'll be alone. He's never been alone like that." She twirled her hair around her fingers, let it slip away and then repeated. Then, suddenly, she stopped. Slowly, carefully, she turned to face Elsa.

"What can I do to change your mind? What can I do to keep Hiro here?"

Elsa shook her head. "There is nothing more you can do." She had never met a mother, only coddled the ghost children who cried for them. "Hiro has to die."

"Elsa?" Hiro touched her arm, his presence ferreting out the memory as sunlight does the night. "Uh, are you—are you crying? In my hair?"

"Oh!" She pulled away from Hiro, wiping the tears quickly from her cheeks. "No, no, I'm fine. It's just kind of cold out here."

Hiro's eyebrows furrowed. "The cold? Bother you?"

Elsa smiled softly, not quite sure what to say. He was smiling at her, his gap tooth visible. Hiro's ignorant joy made her heart heavy and painful. Even breathing hurt and she didn't know what to do. In the back of her head she could hear Anna telling her to correct her mistake, to make amends while there was still time. Then she could go home.

She looked at Hiro, then off the balcony. It wasn't fair.

Then she thought of Jack. The burn of his lips on hers, the surge of desire she felt as his hands found her bare hip bones, the way he wrapped his arms around her and said _we_ will make this better. There was something about him that made her belong like she never had before and Elsa desperately did not want to give that up.

But Hiro should know; should know that she knew him better than he ever imagined.

"Hiro, I have to tell you something."

He was rubbing his fingers over the scar. "Sure, what is it? Wait, what's that?" A green Subaru with several bikes strapped to a rack on the roof pulled into a parking space across the street. From the driver's side emerged a young women wearing a yellow tank top and pink jean shorts with leggings underneath. Tadashi got out of the other side of the car, talking to the woman about something Hiro couldn't hear.

"It's Tadashi!" He grabbed Elsa's wrist and jerked her back into the house. "You have to hide somewhere, quick!"

"Hiro—"

"-Find a closet or—"

"Hiro—"

"What about—"

"Hiro!" Elsa forcefully took her wrist back. "Listen to me!"

"What? We have to—" Elsa put her finger to his lips to quiet him.

"I know, I know, your brother can't see me, but you need to understand something."

Hiro's eyes searched her face, clouded with worry. He was scared, probably more so than her. Elsa smoothed his hair with her hand. Sighing, she said, "You have to tell Tadashi you're sorry."

"What?" Hiro stepped back. "Why?"

"Because he loves you."

Hiro opened his mouth, ready to protest, but when a logical argument failed to formulate, he exhaled sharply and looked away from Elsa.

"Trust me, you'll feel better when you do." Then she slipped into Jack's old room, closing the door softly behind her.

* * *

Emma and their father were talking not-so-quietly in Russian. After being slammed by them both in two languages—one he only partially understood—Jack chose to sit quietly on the sofa and massage his temples. He didn't really feel that it was fair for them to be mad at him for Hiro's sudden appearance. First of all, he didn't ask for it. Second, what was he supposed to do? Calling Agent Hamada would only cause more trouble even though according to Hiro it sounded as though he already knew they had some sort of affiliation.

Now his family was fighting over is irresponsibility as though that would make it better. Really, it wasn't their lives that were in the toilet.

" _O_ _n ne mozhet byt' doverennym!_ " Emma said fervently.

"No!" Their father pounded a large fist on the counter. " _Eto ne yego vina!"_ His words were slightly slurred from the vodka he still had on his breath.

And then came the knock at the door. Everyone was quiet, except for upstairs where Jack could hear Hiro and Elsa thumping through the halls. When nobody moved, there was another knock. Using his elbows for leverage, Jack pushed himself off of the couch and walked to the door. He opened it to find Agent Hamada and Agent Tamago standing there.

"Dad!" Emma said, gesturing to the door. "See!"

"Uh, hi," Jack scratched the back of his neck, feeling a nervous prickle of sweat but trying to stay calm.

"Good evening, Jack." Agent Hamada said, adjusting the manila folder in his hands. "Can we speak to you a moment?"

"Sure, come on in." Jack lead them through the store front and into the back. Emma disappeared into the kitchen and North siddled to a corner of the room.

"Can I ask what this is about?" Jack said.

Agent Tamago crossed her arms, leaned hard with her hip, and stared at her companion. Whatever he had to say she clearly didn't support.

Clearing his throat, Agent Hamada offered Jack the folder, which he could now see had his full name on it. "We want you to have this."

Taking the folder, Jack opened it. Inside was a summary of charges against him. Stamped across the top of the first page was the words 'ACQUITTED' in bright red ink.

"What is this?" Jack asked.

"That's your file." Agent Tamago said. "They're letting you go." She looked at Tadashi, her eyes as sharp as snake fangs. "Because you're innocent."

Her words were deaf on Jack, who was leafing through the folder, the concept still sinking in, his heart hammering in his chest.

"We think you are innocent." Agent Hamada continued. "We have reason to believe you have no connection to Elsa, her theft, or any other crimes associated with this case"

"Innocent? He is innocent?" North boomed. "Great news!" Striding across the room, he scooped Jack up into a hug. On the other side of the room, Emma was smiling too.

"I'm making _vatrushka_!" North declared, setting his son down and making his way towards the kitchen. "Police man and woman, you stay too! I make for everyone!"

As Emma curtailed her their father, Jack looked Agent Hamada in the eye, and smiled. "Thank you." Jack didn't ask what the 'reason' for his acquittal was, but he could guess.

Agent Hamada smiled. "I didn't do it for you, but you're welcome."

"Ta...dashi?" Standing on the last stair was Hiro, his head low, arms crossed behind his back. A plate slipped from Emma's hands, shattering on the floor.

When Tadashi saw his brother, he smiled. "Hey, Hiro. Are you ready to go?"

Abashed, Hiro raised his eyes to meet Tadashi's. There was no anger.

"Yeah, yeah I'm ready to go."

Tadashi nodded a farewell to Jack who returned it, watching Hiro for the longest time as they walked to the door.

Hiro could hear North mumbling something about why they weren't staying for _vatrushkas_. Nobody talked as they crossed the street to the car. Silently, Gogo slid into the driver's seat. Tadashi opened the back door for Hiro, who didn't get it.

"I heard what you said to Jack." His eyes were on the pavement as he spoke.

"And?" Tadashi said.

Hiro wrapped his arms around Tadashi's waist and squeezed, burying his face into his brother's shirt. It smelled musty and a little bit like sweat, as though he had been wearing it for too long.

"Thank you, Tadashi."

"You're welcome." He put his arms around his little brother, returning the hug.

"And Tadashi?" Hiro lifted his head, resting his chin on Tadashi's chest. "I'm sorry."

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter! :3 It took me a bit of time to get up the gumption to write the fluff that is present in this one as I had a streak of emo that started my side project, City of Bones. Also, if you're looking for some fluff that will make you want to cry your eyes out, check out Your Song in December by ZERO-xxx. That's all for now, lovelies. Please leave a review and let me know what you think! -Kay**


	22. Chapter 22

The Wings

Chapter 22

Anna's hands were covered in pink satin ribbons that she wove into ice-white hair of a child who sat on the hard bench, fidgeting underneath the soft white frills of of her dress. Once she was done weaving it through the strands and tying it off, she brushed her fingers softly across the crown of of the girls head. A shower of luminescent gold dust fell from the tips of Anna's fingers, collecting atop the girl's head in the shape of crown with a giant ruby in the crest. Giggling, the girl removed the crown and looked up at Anna.

" _Merci_ , Miss Anna." She wrapped her arms around what she could reach, which was Anna's upper thighs. Bending down, Anna returned her hug.

"Oh, anytime, Marie."

"Come on! Come on and play with me!" She tugged at Anna's hand, leading her her to the clean, white veranda that wrapped around the Plantation house. The air was warm and the breeze danced with the daisies in the yard. Marie was pulling Anna towards a tire swing that hung from a huge oak tree beside the porch.

"Okay, okay," With one hand, Anna scooped up the train of her dress, the pleats designed to look like the plush petals of white tulips. "Slow down a little, it isn't easy to move in this dress sometimes!"

"A lady," Marie said as she hopped onto the tire swing. "Knows how to play in heels."

Anna laughed, plopping herself down on the vibrantly green grass. "And who told you this?"

"My mommy! Oh!" Marie pointed across the way. "That Mulan girl is out." She began vigorously waving her hand and shouted, "Hi Mulan!"

Anna waved as well. Across the street, a girl on the verge of becoming a woman was hanging painted wish cards on the leaves of bamboo stalks. Her hair was pulled back into a neat bun and she wore silk so strikingly red the roses were jealous. Grinning, Mulan waved back.

"Want to come and play!?" Marie shouted.

Smiling, Mulan shook her head no. "Sorry, Marie, my father and I have plans this afternoon."

"Oh," The girl said, a little dejected. "Wait! Did you see your mom yet? Is she here?"

To this, Mulan smiled, her pretty lips saying silent things a child couldn't fathom. "Not yet, dear. One day soon."

"That's okay, Marie." Anna interrupted. "I'm here to play with you! Come on!" Anna jumped to her feet and twirled on her tiptoes. The long pleated skirt began to dissolve, turning to slivers of gold dust and monarch butterflies that whispered through the air, tickling Abigail's hair, cheeks, and nose. Continuing her pirouette, Anna's skirt transformed to a crisp white a-line, accentuating her womanly figure as she spun.

Taking Marie's hands, Anna pulled her into a slow spin as the butterflies flittered by their heads like daydreams. When they were too dizzy to stand, Anna and Marie both fell back giggling into a mound of daisies and dandelions, scattering their seeds to the wind.

"That was fun!" Anna said, rolling to her side to look eagerly at the child.

But the she was looking at the sky. Rolling and blue—always the color of a Robin's egg—it was eternally happy and delightful. Although Marie looked as though she might cry. Anna was about to ask her if she was okay when the she pointed her stubby finger at the seeds drifting in the wind.

"Mother used to tell me you could wish on those."

"Aw! Did you ever make wishes on them?"

"Of course. But they never came true."

For a moment, Anna observed the dance of the seed as it passed over the rolling hills of Marie's chateau, drifting over the rice paddies that stood in Mulan's back yard, then over the block of apartments that belonged to another child whose name she barely knew.

Anna lay back down, watching the clouds. She twisted her fingers, the cumulus formations melding together to form a rabbit. "Can I tell you a secret, Marie?"

She giggled. "Yes, but after you make me a very pretty butterfly."

Obligingly, Anna wiped at the sky with her hand. The cloud shifted to the shape of a basic butterfly. Squealing, abigail said, "Okay, go ahead."

"Sometimes," Anna said. "I make wishes too."

Wide eyed, the girl rolled over to look at Anna, who was beaming. "Do they ever come true?" She asked. Anna shrugged, forcing a rigid smile as she remembered Elsa sitting on the floor of the Frost residence, surrounded by silver dust and tears.

"Not really."

And then gravity was pulling her away, Marie's's body floating above her on the soft clouds of her childhood illusions as Anna sunk away, captured by an invisible calling.

* * *

"Elsa, I can't get in." Jack was gripping the door handle, the metal so cold it burned his skin. When he tried wiggling it or pushing against the door it wouldn't budge. "I'm worried about you."

"Jack?" He whipped his head around. Emma was standing at the top of the stairs, a plate of _vatrushkas_ in her hands. Her hair was loose and uncombed, the lines on her face gone. It reminded Jack that the last time his sister had looked this relaxed she had been holding their mother's hand.

"Is everything okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, it's fine. A-Are you okay?"

She nodded. "I'm just wondering why you and Elsa are up here?" She held the plate up. "Don't forget, we have a good reason to celebrate, Mr. Frost."

Jack removed his hand from the knob, hiding his raw palm behind his back so she wouldn't see how raw the cold had made his skin. "Yeah, we're fine. We'll be down in a minute." He looked away from Emma, returning his attention to the door. Cold air was emanating from under the door jam, tickling his bare toes.

"Jack?" He jumped, Emma right beside him now. Her honey-brown eyes warm and big. "Are you sure you're okay?"

In that moment, Emma was as powerful as he had ever seen her. She could be bossy and big, she could place Jack on her 'list' pretty quick and rail him for all of his short comings, but it was moments like these that actually made him pay attention to her because nothing made Jack want to listen to her more than the epiphany that her familial love for him was as unconditional and unending as time.

But right now he had to refuse that love, because on the other side of his door was a woman whose secrets he had to keep.

"Yeah," Jack said. "Thanks for checking though." Emma left, but Jack did not disillusion himself that she believed his words. It was only his privacy that she respected.

With a big sigh, he tried the door again. "Elsa, I know you can hear me, please let me in."

The silence echoed. From beneath the door jam he saw a flicker of blue light that disappeared as though its origin was moving. Jack rattled the door.

"Let me in." He pounded the wood with his fist. "Now."

He didn't hear the words, but instead he saw them in the darkness behind his eyes. "I can't, Jack." Her face was crumpled and stained with pale tears. Her palms bore fresh scratches and under her nails there was dried blood. She was a shell of what he knew and his own chest tightened with fear that did not belong to him.

Jack threw his weight into the door at the same time that yanked the handle. A shatter like glass cut the silence as the door popped wide open, dumping Jack unceremoniously on his hands and knees in the entry way.

The room was so cold his breath turned to wisps. An inch of crisp frost covered the room and flakes of snow flitted in the light of the moon. The walls he had so meticulously painted in his teenage years were covered in names he did not recognize, the letters glowing a soft blue. While most of the names seemed like a draw from a hat, every fourth name read _Hiro Hamada,_ the letters cluttered by gatherings of blue butterflies that crowded one another to touch Hiro's name.

She was a wilted heap in the center of the room, holding herself as she trembled. The sleeves of her sweater had patches of blood and her head was down.

"Elsa," Jack came to her side, grabbing her hands and flipping them over so he could see—see the scratches that lined her palms. He turned her hands over, observing the red underneath her nails. Jack swept his arm underneath her knees, wrapping his other arm around her shoulders to pull her as close as he could. "What happened?"

"I—I don't know." Elsa whispered, her body still trembling. "The names—I couldn't stop—stop writing. I just started remembering and—and—"

"Shh, shh, it's okay. Just take a minute to breathe."

"Jack—" The words were broken by rogue tears. She was shaking so badly she could hardly make a fist but used her nails to leverage a weak grip on his shirt.

"It's okay, Elsa." Jack touched his forehead to hers. "You didn't do anything wrong." As he closed his eyes he could see her bloody hands again, the vision and the moment he came through the door. It turned his stomach to think she had done that to herself, but there was absolutely no other explanation. "You didn't do anything wrong at all."

"But I did." She said. "I did do something wrong. Something very, very wrong that I can't undo."

"It's okay, I didn't really like this color anyway. I can just repaint—"

Elsa put her shaking finger to his lips. It smelled of copper and tasted just as bad against his dry lips. "I need you to listen."

Her lips were shaking but the determination in her bright eyes made his own soften. "Okay, I'm listening."

Elsa closed her eyes, relieved that she had Jack's attention. She she held it like a gift, taking a moment to just see him—to see the strong set of his jaw, the lines his sly smirk had left in th corners of his mouth, the youth and immaturity that still lingered in his eyes.

Elsa brushed his choppy bangs out of his field of vision. "I saved Hiro's life." She whispered.

"Wow, that's great!"

"No," Elsa pulled away, catching his eyes again. This time her own where hard with fear. "No, Jack. It's not."

"Why? How could saving a kid's life be a bad thing?"

"Because..." She sighed. "Because he was meant to die. And couldn't let him. So now... There is an imbalance. And I'm scared. Really, really scared because these are never left unfinished."

"What do you think will happen?"

"Truly," Elsa hugged herself again. The shivering had stopped, but Jack could see how easily her own doubt crippled her. "I don't know. But nothing good."

* * *

The lukewarm water lapped at Anna's bare ankles. Lilies and peonies sprouted from the water's surface, as beautiful and silent as a perfect secret. The still surface of the water reflected the bare expanse of clouds that shifted endlessly overhead, softening the light that filtered through them to a dim gray. Anna felt cold, her damp skin bare to the elements.

In her fists she clutched the fading dandelions she had ripped before her fall. Although she had been here many times, she had never been summoned here by anyone and those who had authority to do so were definitely not the forces she wanted to meet face to face. It would mean that they knew what she had done.

Shivering, Anna covered her shoulders with her wings to stave off the breeze.

"Welcome to The Gate." The voice was rough, as though the language he spoke was not his first.

Anna turned to see a wolf as black as sin and twice as captivating. He was larger than a horse, his lips peeled up in a cruel smile that revealed harsh rows of teeth. Eyes the color of cursed gold studied Anna, an intelligent opinion forming as his ears flickered to the sound of her breath.

"You're a Keeper..." She whispered, holding her hands to her own collarbone.

"Aye." The wolf replied. "And I know you are no stranger to this place, Anna"

Her eyes fell to a cluster of peonies in colors you would never see on Earth. "I know. I knew you would find out sooner or later."

"You should have asked permission. Purgatory is a dangerous place."

"Does this mean—" Anna worried the skirt of her dress, creasing the fabric as she rumpled it with shaking fingers. "Does this mean I'm going to be punished?"

"Possibly." The wolf said. "But I had something else in mind for your penance."

Anna lifted her gaze, meeting his. She was feeling colder than ever.

"The one you call your sister needs to submit to authority. I'm sure you know, as you have created a character to speak to her."

Anna shut her eyes tight at his words. She had been foolish to think that crossing through The Gate, Purgatory, and The Firmament would go unnoticed. It had been far too easy and now humans had seen her, Elsa had seen her, they would all be caught in her terrible web of deception.

"I'm very impressed."

"Wh-What?"

"I said, I'm impressed. Your use of your power while visible to the human eye is astounding and I want to use that. To our advantage."

"To capture... to capture Elsa, you mean?" The wolf nodded. "But I can't. She's my sister..."

The wolf scoffed. "Creatures of light do not have kin. Just because she was born from the same memory as you does not make her your sister."

The words stung like a whip. Although they were true, it was not uncommon for others to form ties to their friends that mimicked those humans had. Mother, father, brother and sister. It was a pleasant lie indulged by the angels, overlooked by Keepers, and seldom mentioned by any. To say Elsa was her sister was simply accepted by most. Until, of course, it became a point of exploitation.

"She must pay reprimands for what she has done."

"And you want me to bring her back." Anna said.

"Yes, yes I do. The man she has been with has limited my ability to access her. Until now, that is."

"And you think I can get close?"

"Keh. You have so many times before."

"Yes, but I looked like a child!" Anna gestured to her body. "How can I cross properly?"

"I will take you." The wolf said. "I can take you beyond purgatory and beyond the barrier. Bring her back to face the consequences of her actions, Anna."

"I've tried, though." She whined. "I tried to get her to come back but she doesn't want to. It's hard for her to remember things and that guy—Jack, I think? Her skin is so warm when she is with him, and that's almost always. And she sheds stardust. " Anna fell silent. She opened her hands, letting the remnants of the dandelions fall to the water's surface. Her eyes widened "She's falling in love." The spark of smile came to her lips and her heart felt lighter. The fur on the wolf's back began to rise. A rumble began in the his throat.

"If you cannot return her, I will bring her to her knees with my justice."

"But how?" Anna asked. "You cannot hurt Jack, he isn't involved. And Hiro, well, is he coming with us?"

"The boy will come with us. I have no hesitation doing the same for Jack."

"But," Anna protested. "He isn't meant to die yet. How can you speak of taking his life?"

"You said that Elsa loved him, yes?"

"Uhm," Anna rubbed the back of her neck. "I mean, yeah... but what does that have to do with anything?"

The wolf kneeled before Anna, offering his back to her. Obligingly, she gripped a healthy tuft of fur and hefted herself onto his back. All at once, the clouds, the water, and the flowers began to spiral and fade away as though they had never been. Expanding before them was an eternity of winking stars and colorful galaxies on the expanse of black nothingness.

"His love has polluted her purity and therefore tipped the balance." The wolf explained. "If she does not come back with you, the target on his back is as bold as the one on hers."

Anna opened her mouth to speak again, but the wolf swiped a massive paw across the astral plane, ripping a hole in the blackness, allowing light to spill out and fill the dark places. The two hit the rough opening he had created like a wall, their very existence quivering with the force of reality pressing in on them. Anna screamed, clutching the wolf's fur and hugging herself to him.

The light intensified, burning through her eyelids and stinging. The thrum of reality was pressing into her ears, causing her blood to pulsate unnaturally. The air in her lungs was ripped away, massive amounts of pressure forcing her to gasp and inhale short breaths of nothingness.

And then it faded away. She was kneeling on a rooftop, her arms around the neck of a burly black wolf. High above them the sky was bright with puffy clouds. Climbing the expanse of hilly terrain was a familiar city dotted with lakes, causeways, and skyscrapers that circled the harbor. Gulls shrieked nearby and fought each other for scraps of french fries. The smell of city smog and fresh rain was thick in the air.

Anna lifted her hands and wiggled her fingers, which looked very much the same as they had a moment ago. She took a brief moment to pat down her body and make sure everything was still in its proper place. Standing, Anna looked down at her feet. The concrete of the roof was stained from blood spilled long ago.

* * *

 **A/N: A lot of you asked me not to kill Hiro... lol. I have plans. Many plans. Hang in there with me.  
**

 **I had a major writer's block with this chapter but I finally broke it, thanks to the lovely game Lost in Harmony. The bomb music, the gorgeous graphics, I just fell in love and it made me want to WRITE! Love it. Most of this chapter was written to its soundtrack, which you can find on iTunesif y'all are so inclined.**

 **If you guys hadn't guessed... I really do like wolves. We learn more about wolfie dearest here. I chose not to make him Pitch because, well, Pitch has more feelings than I would like to incorporate in my Keeper. Chyu chyu ~**

 **A big thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter and any/all of the ones before this. You guys seriously rock. -Kay**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The Wings

Elsa was much too frail for Jack's sweater. The cloth was faded and red, bunching at her hips with too much fabric for her slender curves. Across the front "WEST SEATTLE HIGH' was printed in peeling white letters. The ends of the sleeves had small tears in them where Jack had chewed them in his adolescence. She wore them down over her hands so no one could see the bandages Jack had placed over her scratches. She didn't look out the window, only at the dust on Jack's dash. Sometimes the old Taco Bell cup in his holster.

Jack was drumming his thumbs against the steering wheel to the beat of, _Little Talks_. They pulled up to a stop sign and he brushed his hand across the dash, coming off with a healthy layer of dust and stray sparkles. He wiped it on the leg of his pants.

"This doesn't have to be a bad visit." Jack said. "We're just going to check on him, make sure everything's okay."

Elsa shook her head. "How do you tell someone they were supposed to die?"

"Maybe you tell him that you saved his life instead? I mean, everything has a silver lining."

Elsa closed her eyes. She could feel hands coated in thick plastic touching her body, needles as sharp as teeth piercing her skin, then real fangs riving the bones of her wings from her flesh. She could hear Jack's crisp voice on the other side of the intercom, the glass cold beneath her fingers but warmer in the shadow of his palm as he smiled, smiled, smiled. The feeling of falling and air being squeezed from her lungs, Anna's beautiful eyes on the verge of tears as she reached for Elsa.

Jack's voice collapsed the memories. "Everything happens for a reason. Whatever that is."

Elsa smirked darkly. "Isn't that a cliché?"

He shrugged. "Doesn't stop it from being true, does it? But hey, really, we don't have to tell him. We're just here to make sure he's okay, that's all." Jack pulled the Toyota up the curb behind the townhouse. He and Elsa stepped out and walked around the block to the front. The city still smelled clean and new from the rain. Gardenia bushes sat in the small patches of dirt that served as gardens for the townhouses, their fragrance high. Elsa approached the town house, her chin up and shoulders square.

"Wait," Jack said as he matched her stride. "I texted him, he's coming out. If Tadashi is home, we don't want him to—"

"Elsa! Jack!" Hiro was leaning of the doorway, grinning wide like a child. "Come on in!"

They followed Hiro inside, Elsa removing her shoes while Jack kept his on. The living room and kitchen were all corrupted by adolescent chaos. On the island there was a jar of Nutella with the lid askew, a dirty knife, and a menagerie of crumbs. In the living room, a hoodie with _Death Note_ written on the arm was tossed haphazardly across the arm chair. A dismantled bot shared space on the coffee table with Hiro's backpack, which was bleeding school supplies. The sofa had collected a fair amount of scrap paper, schematics, and red pens, some of the uncapped. Flashing on the TV screen was the word 'PAUSE', emblazoned over the avatar of a character who wore green and brandished a sword far to big for him

"Hmm," Jack said as he surveyed the mess. "You been home for awhile?"

"No," Hiro said. "Like, thirty minutes. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason. No reason at all."

Hiro shrugged, taking a bite of toast drowned in Nutella and sodden with gummy bears. "I actually had a really amazing day. And that's saying something."

"Oh really?" Jack said as Elsa moved some of the mess to sit down on the sofa. She knew Jack was trying to make everyone feel comfortable and she was glad for it. She wasn't quite sure how to say what needed to be said. Or really, what even needed to be said. "What happened?"

"Well," Hiro licked the last of the Nutella off of his thumb. "There's this new girl Riley. She's not in my class but since I'm older I had to show her around. But for a girl, she's pretty cool, y'know? She plays hockey, which is a sport and so many girls don't like sports. It's kind of stupid. But she likes them."

"But you don't play hockey either?"

"Correct!" Hiro wagged a finger in the air. "But bot fighting is just as much of a sport as any other!"

Jack snorted. "I played hockey and it requires a lot more work than pressing a button."

"It's not just pressing a button! You have to have skill and precision! That's why people bet money and—err, other people," Hiro looked away, suddenly, grabbing his bot from the table. "I mean, I just fight for sport. I wouldn't do bot fights or anything, that's just illegal, you know?"

"Hey," Jack sat in the arm chair on top of the hoodie. "Your brother is the last person I'm going to blab to. You got a girlfriend, what else happened that made you day so delightful?"

"Well, it was kind of weird, but I had another girl come up to me today."

"Wow," Jack said. "You go get 'em."

"No, no, it's not like that." But Hiro's cheeks took on a pink hue, contradicting his words. "This girl, she just kind of appeared and was all nice and stuff, asking me questions. She almost walked all the way home with me."

"Where did you meet her?" Elsa asked, for the first time speaking.

"Outside school." Hiro jabbed a thumb at the hoodie. "She wanted to know what a Death Note was. And then we just started talking about other stuff, like how we were both fascinated by angels and stuff. She had really pretty reddish hair in those braid things and a bag of gummy bears."

Elsa shifted uncomfortable, glancing at Jack, who caught her gaze and smiled reassuringly. It didn't ease her fidgets.

"Then she got weird though, talking about how I was supposed to come with her and she wanted to help me and stuff."

"Hiro—" Elsa stood up.

"Hey!" He said. "Don't worry, I quickly ditched her because she was just crazy. Her name was Anna or something like that. It was totally weird."

"What did she say to you? Did she—" Elsa was interrupted by the slick sound of a key in the lock of the front door. Elsa'seyes met Jack's and she mouthed the words _What do we do?_ Before anyone could move, the unlocked door easily slid open. Jack jumped to his feet, having enough sense left to know that he was in full view of the door but couldn't move quick enough to get out of Tadashi's field of vision as he walked in the door.

"Oh my God—"

"Wait!" Jack held up his hands defensively. "It's not what you think! I promise!"

Tadashi's eyes flew from Jack to Hiro, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor with the bot in his hands, a red pen behind his ear. Sheepishly, he waved at his brother. "Hey, Tadashi. You're home early."

Tadashi looked back at Jack, his eyes narrowed. "You!" Throwing his briefcase against the wall, he marched towards Jack, his hands fists. Jack cartwheeled over the arm chair, looking around for something to grab to secure the distance between him and the agent.

"Tadashi! Stop!" Hiro cried, throwing himself between his brother and Jack.

"Get out of the way, Hiro!"

"No! You stop it!"

"Tadashi," Elsa's voice sliced through the tension. For the first time, Tadashi saw her; truly saw her. Not the picture of her broken body on the concrete, not the photos of her behind glass, but the fleshy body that was she. Her voice was not the bell he heard on tapes but the voice of a woman whose words were turned ugly and bitter by fear for someone she cares for. "Please listen to us."

Tadashi looked between the three of them. He couldn't decide where to settle; who to blame. Jack, Hiro, or Elsa. It was overwhelming. "How—how did you come to this, Hiro? I just dismissed his case and then you bring him—and her—to our living room? Our house? Are you trying to get yourself thrown in a penetentiary?"

Hiro slouched, becoming small. "I mean, no, I just—"

"Hiro," Tadashi sighed, rubbing his temples. Jack relaxed a little but not too much, taking the opportunity to step out of the corner he was in. "Every time I turn around you're sticking your nose in something illegal. Highly illegal. It's like it's catching with you."

"...Sorry."

"I was so worried about you—and then I come home to this? Hiro," Tadashi next to his brother, placing his hands on his shoulders. "Look, there was a woman who came by my office today. Asking questions. About you."

Hiro's eyes widened. "What kinds of questions did she ask?"

Tadashi shook his head. "Just things that were far too personal. What your favorite snack was, what you did after school, where you went to school—it was too strange. Not to mention she was in a federal office looking for me just to ask me these things. So I left work early to meet you after school but you were already gone."

Elsa sat down again, crossing her legs at the ankles. "We should talk. All of us."

Tadashi turned to look at Elsa. The weakness had faded, leaving her face was stern and serious.

"I have no words. I—This is too weird." He looked back at Hiro, who was hugging his bot like a life line. "I can't take any of you in without incriminating all of us." He sat back, gesturing to the blonde. "So I guess you have the floor, dear."

Elsa took a deep breath, letting it go slowly. It was difficult to imagine telling Hiro this truth, but now she had to tell the person who loved him most. Like a spark of fire, the words seared her mind's eye. _Tadashi will be alone._ She shivered. It was strong and omniscient, too powerful to be her own thought. Someone was talking; someone was close.

On her shoulder she felt Jack's warm hand, his knuckle touching her bare neck, touching the soft hair at the base of her skull.

"There's a lot to say. But I think that woman you saw Tadashi, and the one you met, Hiro, are the same woman."

"Yeah," Hiro agreed somberly.

"You saw her too!?" Tadashi said, whipping his head towards his brother.

"Yeah," Hiro put his finger to his lips. "Shhh."

"I think she is my sister, Anna, and she is from the same place as me. She... she came to me not that long ago, asking me to correct my mistake. So I could go home." Elsa gripped the hem of Jack's sweater. Her eyes were hot with tears that were close. "I didn't remember what I had done for so, so long. But now I do and—and I still won't."

 _Tadashi will be alone_.

"Tadashi," Elsa said his name slowly, savoring it like a sweet. "This is the first time I have ever met you, but I have known you for a long time. You too, Hiro."

"I don't understand." Tadashi said, his voice as thin as hers.

"It's okay." Elsa whispered. "It's okay if you don't understand everything, because not all of us do. But this is what I want you and Hiro to know, Tadashi. You were supposed to be alone after the crash, but I couldn't—she—she—" Elsa was trembling, the tears she had been holding slipped from the corners of her eyes.

"Elsa," Jack squeezed her shoulders. "You don't have to do this."

"No I'm, fine. They need to know. They need to know that she—she didn't want you to be alone, Tadashi. She wanted Hiro to be alive, to breathe and be and grow even when she wouldn't see him."

"You mean... " Hiro was staring at the carpet, the words he spoke were his only anchor to the present. "You mean Mom?"

Elsa closed her eyes, "I had seen mothers so many times, but never met one. She loved you both so much I couldn't stand it. I was so jealous." She shook her head, shame keeping her eyes from theirs. "I wanted to be loved like that more than anything I had ever known."

Tadashi was shaking as he held his head in his hands. "You're telling me, that my mom acted so fucked up the last days of her life because she met _you?_ Telling her she was going to die?"

"No," It was Hiro who answered his brother's biting question. "She was telling mom it was _me_ who was supposed to die, Tadashi. But," His eyes moved to Elsa's her long eyelashes still wet with tears. "Why didn't I die, then?"

"Because," she wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of Jack's hoodie. "I wouldn't let you."

"Ah." Hiro closed his eyes and leaned against Tadashi so that they were back to back. "And that's why they kicked you out. Because of me."

"...Yes." She said softly.

The gravity of Elsa's words holding them as still as stone. Hiro didn't even look like he was breathing much less alive, his eyes locked on his familiar patch of carpet. The three sharp knocks at the door were hardly heard by anyone but Jack, who quietly stood to get the door, leaving them sitting in their silence.

Standing on the other side of the door was a woman whose smile was as bright as the sun. Her auburn hair was braided in pigtails and she wore a plain white cardigan that seemed a little large over a bright green sun dress.

"Hi! I'm Anna. Is Hiro here?"

Jack slammed the door and locked it. "We have to go."

"Was it her?" Tadashi said as he got to his feet, forcing Hiro to become accountable for his own body weight. Tadashi's eyes were a little red and so was his nose. He'd stifled his crying with his hatred of this Anna girl. Three more knocks.

"Yeah, we have to get Hiro out. Now." Jack moved past Tadashi and took Hiro's hand, pulling the dazed kid to his feet. Three more knocks.

"Stop!" Tadashi grabbed Hiro's other arm. "I don't want to run from whatever that is. We don't even know if we can out run them!" He reached for the hand gun clipped to his belt.

"Tadashi," Jack said, his hold on Hiro's arm not lessening as the knocks came again. "This isn't the time to argue with me. We have to _run._ This thing—it hurt Elsa so badly—"

The knocks stopped.

"It's just one girl. Elsa was captured—"

"When she was injured! By these creatures!"

"Jack, we have to—"

There was a mechanical _click_ and as the lock of the front door released, allowing it to swing wide open. Suddenly, Elsa was animated, leaping off of the couch. "Get him out of here! Now!" She ran to the front door, blocking Anna's entrance.

"Elsa!? You're here too? That's great! I—" A crack shook the house, a light as high and bright as the sun bleeding in through the door and windows. Someone screamed and the sound of wood straining against itself punctuated the note. The front door slammed shut, the light dissolving as quickly as it appeared.

Panting, Elsa turned, the three boys staring at her as though she were an apperation.

"What are you still doing here?" She said. "Jack, run—" Her words were cut off as a boom erupted, wind hitting the windows so hard that they exploded. Elsa fell to her knees from the force, covering her head with her hands as glass rained down on her. Tadashi grabbed the stairway railing to keep from falling, his hold on Hiro still tight. Jack wasn't as lucky, slipping down to his knees.

As the echo subsided, Elsa ran her fingers through her hair, tugging the braid free as she stood, specks of glass twinkling against the cherry wood floors.

Jack let go of Hiro, standing and hobbling to Elsa. He went to touch her but she held her hand up, telling him to wait.

"Elsa," Anna's face appeared in the blown out window, twisted with confusion. Her shoulds were now bare, the tips of wings as white as innocence touching at her waist as they curled protectively around her body. "Wait! I need to talk to you!"

Narrowing her eyes. Elsa lifted her hands holding them like claws. As she raised them from her waist, the temperature began falling. Harshly, she swiped her hands through the air. Dense ice crawled over the broken panes, covering them completely and effectively blocking Anna. She turned to Jack, grabbing his hand. Hers was as cold as ice.

"Come on!" With Jack in tow, Elsa lead them through the house and out the back door. This time, Tadashi didn't say a word as they burst through the back of the house, leaving Anna behind as they headed for the Rav4.

"I need to talk to you, Elsa!"

Or not.

"Just get in!" Jack said, throwing open the passenger door and climbing over the console to the driver's seat. Tadashi and Hiro scrambled into the back, slamming the doors shut behind them. Jack hit the gas and peeled out of the parking spot, the car spiraling in a complete 180 that sent unbuckled Hiro into Tadashi's lap and nearly t-boning a truck that had to drive up onto the sidewalk to avoid them. He took his foot of the brake to stop their spin. Once the car was facing forward, he jerked the steering wheel in the opposite direction and slammed his heel on the gas, pulling them out of the intense turn and powering forward.

Elsa looked over her shoulder to see Anna standing barefoot amongst shards of glass and crumbs of concrete.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter. I've been feeling very... off in regards to this story, so it was really lovely to see all of your wonderful comments. I really appreciate it. :) Hope this chapter answered a few questions, may have raised some also. There's still more story to go, hang in there with me. -Kay**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N:** A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter. You guys warm my little writing heart. :) A brief warning... this chapter contains slight smut.

* * *

The Wings

Chapter 24

Even though they were only going five miles an hour, Jack managed to stop short. His fingers rhythmically tapped the steering wheel as his mind running through all of the things he had left in Seattle. All of his friends, a wonderful job, the bottle of Jameson on his counter. He glanced at Elsa in the passenger seat, remembering what he had gained.

Hiro yawned and unbuckled his seat belt so that he could put his feet up on the seat. Tadashi batted them down, mentioning it was rude before instructing his little brother to buckle up again. Having none of it, Hiro instead put his feet against the back of the passenger seat and slouched down. Too tired to say anything else, Tadashi lifted his cap, ran his fingers through his hair and then looked outside at the mighty Willamette river beneath them. Its waters were a greenish aqua, that churned with white caps.

"Why," Jack said as his grip tightened on the steering wheel. "Why is there always traffic going over the bridge into Portland?"

"Portland?" Hiro said. "Like, Oregon? Did we really drive that far?" He sat up and pressed his face against the cool window glass, admiring the architecture of the steel bridge.

"Yeah," Jack said. "I just don't feel comfortable sitting here in traffic."

Hiro almost asked why as he sat back in his seat but didn't. Jack nibbled at a hang nail on his thumb before putting his hand back on the gear console Quiet as a wish, Elsa put her hand on his and laced their fingers together. She was cold, but Jack felt the knot of tension in his chest begin to subside.

" _L_ _yubov' sil'neye strakha._ " She whispered. Jack's smile was precious and slow.

Almost an hour later, they had pulled into a sleepy motel that Tadashi had picked. Located near the heart of downtown, there were coffee shops on either end of the block with a shady looking pub in the middle and an organic grocer across the street. In the distance they could see the iconic neon sign of the leaping deer flickering to life in the light of the setting sun.

"I told you," Jack said as he rummaged through the trunk of his car. "I can keep driving."

"I'm not worried about you." Tadashi motioned to Elsa and Hiro, the latter of which was holding up both of their room keys to a nearby light and squinting at the magnetic strips. "There are some who need a little stimulation."

Leaving Jack where he was standing, Tadashi walked over to Hiro and grabbed him in a loose headlock. "C'mon, nerd." He said as he pulled the second card from his brother's fingers and handed it back to Jack. Hiro was wriggling against his brother, but this time it was playful and light. The cutting remarks were gone.

Elsa walked towards Jack, smiling despite the dark circles under eyes. Jack brushed his fingers across her cheek and kissed her softly. "Why don't we go get you some rest?"

He held her hand again as they walked into the motel room. She elt warmer. Maybe it was because she was blushing.

When he turned on the light, the room was as plain as it was outdated. The pilling carpet matched the drapes with Vermillion triangles mingling with brown half circles in an ugly reminder of the 80's. Thankfully, the duvet was a solid olive color. Adjacent to the bed was a TV that still had antennae and a frayed Bible sat on the bedside table.

"I've never stayed in a hotel before." Elsa said. Jack didn't have the heart to tell her that the first letter of the word made a big difference in the accomodations. Quietly, she walked to the bed and flopped down unceremoniously. Grabbing the remote, she turned on the TV and pulled her knees in so that she was curled up like a kitten as she watched the local news anchor talk about annual rainfall. Jack was half-surprised the picture was in color.

He was about to join her when his cell phone began buzzing in his pocket. Immediately, his heart dropped and he wasn't quite sure why, almost as if he expected someone like Tadashi to call him and tel him this was all a trick. Pulling it from his pocket, he didn't see a blocked law enforcement number but Zel's name on the screen. Glancing up at Elsa, he felt cold. She was still watching TV, now they were talking about an upcoming beer festival.

Jack silenced his phone and set it on the bedside table before getting on next to Elsa and lying beside her. As she watched TV, began running his fingers through her loose hair, gently separating knots and mangles. When he was done, he began separating it into three diferent sections so he could braid it again. Jack was half way done with the braid when he saw that her breathing was shallow and her eyes were closed. She was asleep.

He finished half-heartedly, tying it off with a hair ribbon before scooting to the edge of the bed. Awkwardly, folded the duvet over her legs so she was kind of covered. He would have rather had a blanket, but this was what he had to work with. Jack was about to slip off the bed and let herrest when Elsa's warm hand reach out and caught his wrist.

"Don't go," she mumbled into the blankets.

"But you're tired. I was going to let you rest."

Elsa's stunningly blue eyes fluttered open, meeting his like lightening. His heart beat painfully, tearing at his chest. The ways she pleaded for made remember the of the first words she had ever said. They still belonged to him.

"Stay with me."

His cheeks were hot. He grinned, moving the duvet and sliding in behind her again. "Easy enough."

With her eyes closed, she wiggled until her back was flat up against his chest. Jack put his arm around her shoulders and gave her light squeeze. They lay together through two more programs, just enjoying the simplicity of the other's presence.

That is, until Elsa tipped her head back and dragged her lips slowly across Jack's face, stopping only when her lips found the corner of his. He turned to her, opening his mouth to let her in. When her tongue touched his, Jack's arms immediately tightened around her mid-section, a little surprised but not unpleasantly so by her initiative. The rest happened fast.

She turned around so that their stomachs were flat against each other and her hand slipped up his shirt so she could counts his ribs with warm fingertips. Her touch made his own hands curious, grabbing her hips and pulling them against his own with shaking hands. Hooking two fingers through the belt loop of her jean shorts, he began gently guiding her hips in smooth rhythmic circles.

Her isps were soft and sweet in his mouth, he wouldn't let her stop kissing him. Using the hand that had a hold on her hip, he rolled her smoothly onto her back so that his knees were on either side of her hips and she was underneath him. The other hand gently cupped her face, his thumb stroking her cheek.

Elsa's hands ran down his face, across his neck, and over his shirt. When she reached hem, she began to put her fingers underneath it again but Jack suddenly pulled away. Sitting up, he grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled it clean off, tossing it aside. Looking at him without a shirt made her face as pink as a rose. Elsa ran her tongue across her upper lip and Jack came down on her, finishing the job with his own tongue, coaxing a delicious moan.

When he broke the kiss he let her take two soft breaths before wetting the soft place beneath her ear with a cloying kiss. As he fingers dug into his shoulders, she could only manage to say his name in fractures as she arched her back. Jack took this opportunity to slide his hand under the small of her back and spread his thin fingers to feel her tail bone and precious curve where her back became her rump.

Abruptly, Jack sat up, pulling her with him so that she straddled his upper leg. "Let's ditch this," Jack said as he pulled his old sweatshirt off of her in one go. All that remained was her form-fitting white tank and the blue bra that was visible beneath it. She swayed a little, her eyes cloudy as she stared at him.

"Oh," Jack sighed, running his hands up the curves of her waist. "You're so cute like this, Elsa." She closed her eyes and took a breath, knowing she had never felt this light-headed before. Jack began rolling up her shirt so painfully slow she felt as though she was burning. Then, her heart lurched. She tipped her head back, put her hands on his and pushed down.

"Jack," she moaned. "Is this okay? I feel—I feel so dizzy. And strange."

"Mnn," Jack said as he rubbed the rim of her bellybutton with his tumb nail, causing her to tremble and gasp. "Kind of par for the course."

"Jack—" She was breathing fast as she put her sweaty forehead to his. "This is something—something new."

"I know. I like it."

She opened her eyes, only inches from his. They were calm and the color of her own. She tired to look away but Jack caught her chin with his fingers and drew her back to look at him.

"Elsa, you said something today. Do you remember what that was?" As he spoke his breath was hot on her already flushed cheeks.

"I said lots of things, Jack."

Jack pressed his lips just beneath her own and murmured into her skin. "You told me today that you wanted to be loved." One by one, his fingers moved up her side to crawl under the lip of her bra. "And I have every intention of loving you tonight and for the rest of my life."

"Jack—" She turned her face away and he kissed her neck again. The smell of plumeria blossoms was driving him wild.

"Please let me." He moaned. "I've waited for this, Elsa, and I don't want to wait anymore." She could feel his fingers stealing her breath as they ghosted up and down her spine, creating heat that radiated down her lower back and settled wetly between her legs. "Let me take my time with you tonight. Let me kiss you in so many places."

"Where—" Her words were soft and came between the catches in her breath. "Where do you want to kiss me, Jack?"

In his eyes, she saw fire. "Well," He took her left hand and turned it over, placings his lips over her bare wrist and sucking hard and suddenly. "I'll start here. Then," He gave her quick kisses up her arm until he reached her neck, which he gave a nibble that made her gasp. "That's always a favorite."

"Jackson—"

"Mnn," He ran his tongue over her petite collarbone, making her shiver. "Say my name again."

"Jack—Ah!" His lips were lingering above the swell of her breasts, but his nimble hands had already unbuttoned her jeans, his fingers slipping inside.

"Yes," Jack was holding her eyes with his own. "I'll finish right here, love."

* * *

Hiro smashed the volume button violently with his thumb, ramping it up a good third of the way.

"Geez," Tadashi said, turning the next page in his book. "I didn't know you were so passionate about _The Voice_."

"I'm not." Hiro replied. "I just don't know what on earth they're doing over there." To punctuate his statement there was a loud _thump_ that hit the wall behind them.

"I mean, what are Elsa and Jack doing over there that's so loud? Building a tree house?"

Tadashi looked at his brother over the top of his reading material, his eyebrows raised. "Yeah, uhm, a tree house."

Hiro shook his head and rolled over onto his back, staring at the ceiling. "Look," he pointed. "There are three cracks." Tadashi ignored him. "In the ceiling, I mean." W _hump!_

Hiro shot straight up. "Oh my God." Now, Tadashi was grinning.

"Oh. My. God. Eww!" He looking accusingly at his brother, as though this was Tadashi's fault. "Really? _Really?_ "

Tadashi shrugged innocently. "Well, you know."

Hiro wrinkled his nose. "That's just gross."

"Ah," Tadashi put down his book and took the remote in his hand, turning up the volume the rest of the way. "One day you won't think so."

* * *

Jack brushed the blonde hair from her cheek, smiling at the irony of how much time had spent braiding her hair only to pull it out with his own hands in the heat of the moment. Leaning over her, he kissed her ear before pulling the blanket up and over her naked shoulder. No one had ever looked so beautiful wearing nothing but a top sheet. Sighing, Jack slouched back into the pillows, still feeling a exhausted but completely content.

And then his phone began buzzing.

"Shit," He rolled over and grabbed it from the nightstand. Zel's name burned brightly over the time, which was 1:03 AM. "Oh my God." Rolling out of bed, he shrugged his jeans and t-shirt back on as quietly as he could. By the time he was presentable, his phone had stopped ringing, but Jack was damn sure he was going to find out why Zel was calling him at this hour. Really, why she was calling him period.

Jack opened the door of the motel room and stole one final look at Elsa. She was lying on her side, her hands folded neatly under her pillow. She looked pale and lovely in the light of the moon.

Quietly, he slipped out the door and closed it behind him, the electronic lock clicking shut. The concrete was cold on Jack's bare feet, but a bit refreshing. He flexed his toes, pulled out his phone and glanced at the time again, 1:12 AM now. He hit redial and put the phone to his ear.

Zel's peppy voice was on the other end, sounding as though his call was an unexpected surprise. "Hello?"

"Zel," Jack said. "What's up?"

"Oh Jack," she sounded as though she was suddenly clutching the receiver with both hands. "I'm glad you called. I mean, I'm sorry I called you so late, but I'm just kind of worried about you."

"Nah," he started pacing up and down the walk way. "No need to worry about me. I'm fine."

"I'm seeing all this stuff on the news. First the break in, then the angel disappearing and there have been reports of wolves in the city. I—I don't know, it's just scary and you're involved and that makes me worry about you."

"I'm fine. Really."

"No, Jack," Zel's voice cracked on his name. "I'm scared for you. You always say you're fine, but half the time you're not. I know we've had our differences, but I can't help but think about you and wonder if you're okay."

"Mmm," Jack rubbed his forehead. "I told you, I'm all good. I left Seattle, but I'm—"

"What!? What do you mean you left?"

Jack sighed. "I just had to get out of town for a bit. That's all."

There was a pause on the other end. Then, "Are you coming back?"

"I don't know." Jack said. It was truthful, if not harsh.

"Jack, you're making me worry about you. I'm scared for your safety because you always get into trouble and if you were to get hurt—" A sob punctuated her words. "I don't want you to get hurt, I don't want you to leave, because—because—"

Jack bit his lip. "Wait, just—" This was totally going the wrong way, but he couldn't stop her because she was talking over him.

"I'm just really afraid that you're going to die and that's terrifying because I—I love you, Jack Frost. And I believe in us. I believe we can make it if you just come back."

He had to think of what to say so neither of them spoke. It was not her heavy breath that Jack listened to but the sound of traffic on the main avenue and the distant melody of the river.

"Are you there?"

"Yeah, yeah," he rubbed his face with his hand and cleared his throat. "I'm here." Zel went back to being quiet, waiting instead for Jack to fill the silence. He knew he would be an asshole if he didn't.

"Okay, um, I—I—" He sighed. "I wish we could have had this talk in person." Since he was adamant about avoiding her for fear of her saying what she had just said that wuuld have been exactly never, but she was pretty good at forcing his hand.

"Me too." She whispered.

"Look, you flatter me, Zel. And there was a time when I really did love you." There was a sniffle on the other end of the phone because apparently this wasn't going the way she had pictured it either.

"Jack—"

"I'm sorry, I know it's not what you wanted to hear. But there is nothing left between us. It's done."

For a moment all Jack could hear was her breathing. His head was throbbing.

"Is there someone else?" She asked, her voice nasally, as though she was congested.

"Yes, yes there is."

"Is it her?"

Jack felt cold. "What?"

"You know." Zel said. " _her."_

"No," Jack said slowly. "It's not. No one knows where she is." He lied, hoping she didn't know. But Zel had always been able to sniff out his tall tales before.

She waited to respond. So many things were being said without words. "Okay, Jack. Thank you for the call. Um, goodnight."

"Hey, Zel?"

"Yes?"

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked.

On the other end of the phone she sighed heavily. "No, Jack, not for a long time."

"I'm sorry."

"Goodbye, Jack."

It felt heavy and permanent, but completely necessary. The last thing he could give her was closure. "Goodbye, Zel."

They both hung up and he tucked his phone back into the pocket of his jeans. With a yawn, Jack walked back to their room and turned the knob only to find that it wouldn't budge. The red light on the locking mechanism was on. Sighing, Jack jammed his hands into his pockets, coming back with the phone had just used and lint. Desperately, he began patting himself down, frantically searching for his card key but coming back empty handed. " _Damn!_ "

* * *

 **A/N:** I may have a slight love for the Pacific Northwest. Lots of things happened in this chapter that I didn't plan (like Elsa and Jack going all the way, uhm wow) but ultimately I felt they were needed. This story has really been so much fun to write and I am just really grateful to everyone who has taken the time to read and walk this journey with me.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N:** I don't even know how long it's been since I updated AND I'M SO SORRY! I got my first job in the tech industry and it changed my life overnight and suddenly I've been working around the clock like wow. ...Also started playing Lost in Harmony (which is a great game btw) and that fandom glommed onto me. Sorry folks. But a big thank you to the lovely **116788** who showed some beautiful preliminary art for angel!Elsa, so thank you. Another shout out to **standasawitness** for your undying support of this story.

 **WARNING: This chapter contains content revolving around suicidal ideation that may be triggering for some.**

* * *

 **The Wings**

Chapter 25

"Oh no," he began patting down his pants, searching frantically for the card key but only came back with paper receipts and the phone he had just used. Now, the dilemma. Was it worse to wake Elsa or the Hamadas?

Jack tipped his head back, remembering the smooth milky skin of Elsa's neck, how easily his lips had glided down her and—and he bit his lip, severing the thoughts. He had to make a plan of attack to get back inside. Truly, it felt wrong to wake her just for this, so he walked next door and began knocking tenderly on the Hamadas.

At first Jack didn't hear anything. Then, muffled voices and a loud bang followed by an "Ow!" Five heavy footfalls later and the door swung open to reveal Hiro with messy hair and a faded shirt with a blue police box on the front. He was squinting but still managed to look disgusted at the sight of Jack.

"What?" Hiro said.

"Uhm, hi." Jack said. "I locked myself out and there's no one at the front desk."

Hiro stared at Jack for a moment as though perplexed by his stupidity. Tadashi grumbled something about a credit card and threw one at Hiro. Picking it up off the floor, Hiro gestured for Jack to follow him.

"C'mon. I'll unlock it."

"Thanks," Jack said as he followed Hiro next door. The kid pulled off the plastic case on the electronic lock box and inserted a pen into what Jack would have assumed was the pinhole for a screw. While he held the pen in its place, Hiro pushed the rather battered looking credit card between the jam and the door, sliding it up until the bolt clicked and Hiro was able to push the door open.

"Wow, Jack said with astonishment. "Thanks." The adolescent waved half-heartedly before disappearing back into his room without so much as a condolence. Jack did the same, closing the door behind him so he could take a moment to watch beauty in the moonlight.

Curled into the pillows, he could see her soft curves under the thin sheets. Her breathing was soft and restful, her hair absolutely everywhere. Jack brushed a few strands from her cheeks, steeping himself in the easy love he had for her.

Taking off his shirt, Jack climbed into bed next to her. Scooting up close to her, he buried his face in her hair. Inhaling the beautiful scent of plumeria. Jack didn't notice that, as he did so, her eyes had flitted open.

* * *

If she had had left at 2:28 AM and she had been here for approximately twenty minutes. She had waited until Jack's breathing was soft against her back and she could slip out of his arms without him knowing any different. Never before had she felt so warm and she wanted to test the permanence of it, so she had jammed the door with the deadbolt and left him there.

Sitting on the dock with a bottom wet from the sodden planks, Elsa dangled her feet above the churning emerald river. Here, the only company she had were the gulls on dock posts and the bar hoppers chainsmoking on the shore.

She stared at the deep greenwater, picturing the temperature of its surface dipping as the water hardened to clear ice, but nothing happened. And she smiled. Sliding further down the edge of the dock, Elsa broke the surface with the toes of her left foot, feeling how cold it was against her skin. She hissed at the sensation, never having felt cold this strongly before, but it felt so nice she wanted to weep.

"Jack," she breathed his name, remembering when he had tasted it on her lips.

And then she heard it. The shrill, piercing scream of pain that she knew. It rattled in her brain, an echo so loud she had to cover her ears. She knew it had been placed there by someone else. One of the tears she had been holding fell down the supple curve of her cheek, for she knew that despite Jack the glimmering pieces of her eternity were still embedded like brittle diamonds in her soul.

Elsa scrambled to her feet, Jack and his safety at the front of her mind as she ran barefoot through the streets of Portland.

* * *

The first thing that made Jack startle was the sound of the door banging shut. Sitting up, he saw that the door was fully closed, but that he was alone. Elsa was gone, the bed beside him cold and empty. Her clothes were missing as well.

"Elsa?" He said, still half stupid with sleep. Then he heard the screaming, the cries for help. Leaping out of bed, Jack burst through the door only to find that the one next to his, the Hamada's, had been knocked off its hinges. He could hear snarls and whimpers, someone saying please, please, please.

Jack hit the light. Hiro was pinned to the floor by a giant black wolf. It's massive paws pinned the boy's chest to the floor and it's teeth held Hiro's shoulder in its mouth like a prize. Hiro's fists were pounding the wolf's chest but he was much too small. Tadashi had fistfuls of the dog's fur in his hands but he couldn't get it off of his brother. Instead, the wolf rounded on Tadashi and latched down on his left arm, causing him to scream in pain.

Grabbing the nearest thing to him—which happened to be a TV remove—Jack hurled it at the wolf. The plastic bopped it harmlessly on the head, but it released Hiro's shoulder and reared its head to Jack, eyes are yellow as greed baring into him. In the back of his mind, Jack could hear someone sneer the word, _you._

His heart skipped. Quicikly, Jack looked around for something else to lob at the wolf, something a little more potent. Before he could move, the beast charged. It's head hit Jack in the stomach, knocking the wind from him but not before he grabbed two fists of the animal's fur. Suddenly, the animal was screaming in pain, pulling away from Jack with white froth covering it's lower lip. Stunned, Jack stared. He could hear Tadashi saying something to Hiro in the background about blood loss but it all went over his head.

The wolf dove at Jack again. Jack raised his arms to protect himself as the massive weight of the animal bore down on him but the strangest thing happened. The moment they touched, the wolf began yowling and shying away again. Astounded, Jack stared with wide eyes as the creature snarled, its wiry tailed tucked between its hind legs. Jack looked to his hands covered with a light dust of the powder Elsa was known to leave behind. He looked back to the wolf, and down at his hands again. Something about her was making this happen. He wasn't sure what, but Jack knew he had to use it to get them out of danger.

Standing, Jack dove at the wolf, who lept out of the way. It cast a glance at Tadashi and Hiro, but Jack stood between them, blocking the wolf. Its eyes narrowed, holding Jack for a long moment before turning and fleeing.

Jack turned to look at Hiro and Tadashi. The floor was covered in blood as fresh and and dizzyingly red as peonies, spread around by the animal's paw prints. Tadashi had his hands over his brother's wounds and Hiro had his eyes clenched shut as he shivered.

"Hiro!?" Everyone turned to see Elsa standing in the doorway, her eyes wide as she stared at Hiro on the floor. "What happened?"

"Just call an ambulance!" Tadashi barked, his hands still cauterizing Hiro's wound.

"No!" Elsa cried as she ran to their side. "Haven't you forgotten we're fugitives?"

Tadashi glared at Elsa. "I won't let him bleed to death just because _you_ are afraid to face the consequences of your—"

Elsa pushed Tadashi roughly aside. He noticed that her skin was as cold as ice. Digging her hands underneath Hiro's shirt, she placed her hands over the bite marks. Hiro whimpered, his good hand shooting up to grab Elsa's wrist as his teeth chattered. Then, she removed her hand. Hiro's breathing began to stabilize and he blinked.

"I can't believe you did that again." He whispered.

"Again!?" Tadashi cried.

"Here," Elsa gestured to the older Hamada, who was still staring at her like a pariah. "Let me see yours."

Skeptically, Tadashi exteneded his arm to Elsa. She traced her fingers softly over the punctures in his flesh. Cold penetrated Tadashi's skin, but he could see as the wounds began to mend and come back together. Hiro was watching too, chewing his lip nervously.

Before Tadashi or Hiro could say thank you, Jack had put his arms around Elsa's shoulders and buried his face in the crook of her neck.

"You were gone." He moaned. "You were gone and I didn't know where you were."

"Jack," She placed her hand in his hair. It smelled like blood. Truly, she didn't know how to explain herself. It hurt that she couldn't say she was freed by the same mortality that he was. "It's okay."

"You guys can talk about this later." Tadashi said as he got to his feet. "We really have to get moving, I'm sure the other guests heard that and the police will be here soon." Jack agreed and departed to gather his and Elsa's possessions from next door. No one really noticed how quiet and pensive Hiro was, who opted to sitting in the antiquated arm chair with his hand over his healed wound.

It wasn't until Tadashi was beginning to load everything into the car that he thought to check on his brother. "Hiro?" Tadashi said as he walked back into their almost empty motel room, but he wasn't there. Normally he would have assumed that Hiro was with Jack, but after tonight that was a risk he couldn't take. He ducked next door only to find Jack pulling his socks out from under the bed.

"Have either of you seen Hiro?"

"He's gone?" Elsa said from the doorway.

Tadashi nodded. "I can't find him anywhere."

Jack shoved his sock-less feet into his shoes and grabbed his keys. "We just have to go then. We have to find him before something else does."

* * *

The deep azure of the sky was just beginning to fade to the lovely twilight blue that freckled the sky just before sunrise. Hiro's arms were wrapped around himself to try and keep the bite of the damp cold out. The wound on his arm no longer hurt but when he thought of Tadashi, Hiro wished it did. This mess was his fault. If it hadn't been for him, Elsa never would have met. Jack never would have begun researching her and Hiro never would have found his research in the university library. If he hadn't done that, he never would have tried to help Jack which in turn wouldn't have lead him to Elsa who would save him from the Keeper. He would have died and Tadashi would have been fine.

Heck, if he hadn't been born, Elsa would still be in Heaven or where ever it was she was from.

Hiro squeezed his eyes shut, the only part of him that actually burned. He sucked in the cool air, feeling it inside his chest like a hard fist. When he opened his eyes again, he looked to his left. Standing on the overpass, he had a good view of the freeway far below. Even at this hour, the traffic was deep.

Letting go of his hoodie, Hiro placed both hands on the cement railing of the overpass. Inhaling deeply, he smelled wet earth, green water, and gasoline. He gripped the railing tighter, his nails digging painfully into the stone. Like hot fire on his back, Hiro had the sensation that something was watching him. Hiro didn't want to turn around in case he was right.

Hiro lifted himself up on the railing, standing to his full height. As soon as he did so, he felt the bottom of his belly flip. Without the protection of the railing, the wind at this height was forceful, swaying his body. Wobbling, Hiro spread his legs wider to keep himself from falling. He wasn't really sure why he did this, it was counter productive. He swallowed hard, clenching his fists and closing his eyes.

" _HIRO!"_

Jack's Toyota screamed to a halt on the overpass, all three of them climbing out before it was even fully stopped.

"Hiro, what are you doing!?" Tadashi cried. Biting his lip, Hiro said nothing. The rationalization he had given himself moments before seemed weak in comparison to his brother's injured tone.

"Don't get closer. You don't want to spook him." Jack said and he heard Tadashi grunting. Even though Elsa was quiet, Hiro could feel her gaze on him, soft and familiar. There was something in her silence that was somehow empathetic.

"Hiro, get down!" Tadashi barked. "I don't know what you're thinking, but—"

"It's the only way," Hiro whispered.

"What?" Tadashi said as he shoved Jack away. "What did you say?"

Hiro swallowed hard. "It's the only way you will be safe, Tadashi. I was supposed to die, right? That thing wants me dead and you... none of you will be safe until I... I..."

"Hiro—" It was Tadashi.

"That's not true—" Jack was chiming in too.

"We'll find a way to fix this, if you just—"

Hiro felt Tadashi's fingertips brush his ankle as he tried to grab him, but the teen danced away from his brother, startledat the sudden touch. His foot hit the ledge awkwardly and seeing this, Jack reached for him. Hiro extended his arm too, trying to grab Jack's hand but missed. His foot couldn't find purchase on the railing and Hiro fell.

* * *

 **A/N:** This is partially an exercise for me. I want to get better at writing action scenes. u.u; I promise not to disappear for so long this time, especially since it's a cliffhanger.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N:** Oh look, an update! Thanks to all who left reviews, comments, etc. on the last chapter.

* * *

The Wings

Chapter 26

It only took Tadashi half a second to know that his world might end that night. It wasn't the sobering horn of the car. It wasn't the dull thump of his brother's body on the hood. It wasn't the twinkle of glass on the pavement. What made Tadashi realize that tonight would change his fate was the look in Hiro's eyes as he disappeared over the edge. When Tadashi's eyes met Hiro's, he saw nothing but cold fear, a silent plea for help from the one person he loved most of all. Tadashi knew that if he let his little brother down, every frayed stitch in his life would fall apart.

"Hiro!" Tadashi called his brother's name as he charged down the overpass stairwell that lead to the sidewalk below. "Hiro!" Behind him, Tadashi could hear Jack running behind to help.

It was Elsa who was stuck on the overpass. Standing with herh ands on the edge of the rail she stared down at them. Tadashi was screaming at Hiro to open his eyes, pulling his body from underneath the truck while Jack yelled at him to stop, saying something about making it worse. The sallow-faced driver of the truck was climbing out, a phone pressed to his ear as he asked for an ambulance.

"Elsa," The voice was as lovely and warm as daffodils in summer. It made Elsa's heart sick because she knew not only who is was but what she wanted.

"Anna," she turned to face the other angel. "Did you—"

Frowning, Anna shook her head no. "I didn't do anything to him." She took a step forward. "But do you know what this means?"

Elsa's eyes narrowed she hated looking at her sister this way, but Anna couldn't see through her monotonous and immortal existence. She had never eaten Chinese food from paper cartons, bartered with a mother for her child, or tasted the thirsty kiss of a lover. Anna couldn't possibly fathom the immensity of pain that was seething through Elsa and the ones she cared for.

"If he dies, you can come back and make things right." Anna extended her hand to Elsa. Her gorgeous blue eyes were full of genuine hope. "We can take him with us. Right now. It will be okay."

A siren screamed in the distance. Anna never said who it would be okay for.

Elsa turned and ran to the thorough way stairs. She heard Anna calling for her to come back but it didn't stop her. She ran down the stairs and onto the freeway, her bare feet crunching on hot shards of glass.

Hiro was a silent heap on the pavement. Jack's hands were deep in a wound, blood fresh and red staining his skin. His face was solid and pale, fixed on Tadashi as if for direction. Trembling, Tadashi held Hiro's limp wrist with one hand, the other was pressed to a bloody knot on his brother's head. He spoke words to Hiro, mostly nonsense about not being afraid, about how it would be okay. Closing her eyes, she knew that Hiro couldn't hear his brother.

An ambulance pulled to a stop next to the car and paramedics immediately swarmed them. Jack stepped back but Tadashi had to be pulled forcefully away. Hiro was loaded onto a stretcher and Tadashi climbed into the back with him. Jack was about to go too but Elsa caught him by his arm.

"Elsa?" He looked her in the eyes for the first time since Hiro fell. She didn't think she had ever seen him so weak before.

"Let me go." She said. Jack studied her for a moment, his azure eyes darting back and forth as if looking for a reason. Elsa stood on her toes and kissed his lips, lingering just long enough for him to taste her sincerity.

"Okay," He said. "I'll meet you at the hospital."

He pulled his keys from his pocket and jogged to the stairs to get back to his car on the over pass. Elsa climbed into the back of the ambulance with Tadashi, Hiro, and the paramedics. Tadashi didn't seem to notice her, instead giving Hiro all of his attention. Silently, Elsa took Hiro's hand and closed her eyes. 

* * *

The perfume of lilies and peonies was intoxicating. Cold and wet, Hiro wrapped his arms around himself, wondering why he was standing up to his ankles in water so clear it perfectly reflected the clouds above. The water seemed to stretch on endlessly, melting into the rosy horizon. Hiro thought he heard someone whisper something about a gate or purgatory, but when he turned around there was no one.

"Hello?" He said. Hiro took a few steps creating silent ripples in the water. "Anyone there?"

"Hiro?" He felt his heart drop like a stone. That voice. It had been so long.

"M-Mom?" Turning around, he saw her standing amongst the brilliant lilies in a simple blue house dress. Her hair was loose and charming, her warm eyes full of nothing but awe and love.

But it quickly soured. She began shaking her head, tears jumping to her lashes. "You aren't supposed to be here. It's too soon."

" _Hiro!_ " Elsa was there, her face a ruddy mess and her eyes alight with purpose. "Hiro," she said. "You have to come with me right now."

He looked from Elsa, to his mother, and back again. His mouth fell open but nothing came out.

"Hiro," Elsa said, taking a step forward. "Please come with me."

Hiro looked back to his mother. She stood stiffly with shaking hands, an ache of memories ad longing hiding behind her amber eyes.

"I can't." He whispered. "I want to be with her." The words came out heavy and distant. They even tasted a little foreign, but the more thought about staying with his mother, the more it seemed the right thing to do.

His mother shook her head. "No, Hiro, you go with her."

"But—"

"Hiro, come with me, please." Elsa reached for him but he dodged her, grunting rudely. Turning back to his mother, he saw that she had turned and was walking away.

"Wait!" He called. "Mom! Come back!" Hiro ran to catch up but the moment his foot hit the ground from his first stride, the world around them rippled and transformed. The clouds disappeared, replaced by a starless black sky illuminated by neon signs in kanji, advertising good luck cats, festivals, and steaming bowls of ramen. The streets were thick with people speaking quick Japanese and street vendors shouted _arashimashite_ as they hawked street food, manga, and boba drinks.

"T-Tokyo?" Hiro said breathlessly, a smile beginning to etch itself on his face. "I've missed this place so much, I—"

Elsa's hands wrapped around his arm, her nails digging into his skin.

"Ow! What are you—" When he looked up her eyes were firm, but warm and concerned.

"We have to leave."

"But my Mom..."

"She will be here when you are ready to come back, but it's not time."

And suddenly, he felt every bitter moment of his last hour. The wind above the over pass, the steel of the truck against his ribs, Tadashi's hands as he pulled him from the wreckage. Hiro could hear words in the back of his mind. Little whispers of lovely things that Tadashi would say when they were alone.

Eyes darting back and forth, he desperately grasped Elsa's hand as a tear slid down his cheek. 

* * *

Elsa's hand was wrenched from Hiro's.

"Clear!" Hiro's body jumped as the electricity pulsed through his limp body. Another wave, silent. The third ended as Hiro's body convulsed and he gasped, sucking in air like a fish. 

* * *

Jack knew he should be sleeping, but two hours after Hiro had been admitted the only company he retained was an elderly woman with a flip phone and the toddler in her charge who was connecting puzzle pieces on the faded carpet. The clerks behind the emergency room desk murmured as they scribbled notes and called in collections. The air smelled faintly of ammonia and cherry-flavored medication. Everything was bland, boring, or sickening. It was easy for his eyelids to get heavy.

And in that, Jack found surprising clarity. Little fragments of dream he had seen since he met Elsa were suddenly becoming dynamic and bleeding together to create something new and radiant.

He could see her sitting on the edge of his bed, around her neck a glittering diamond to match the treasure on her ring finger. Her lips were as red as passion as she whispered the word, 'Yes.'

A summer as sweet as her, the smell of grass beneath their backs as they watched blue butterflies fill the sky. He loved this one because his hand was in hers and she was so warm and alive. He lingered here long enough to steal a slow kiss before it faded and he was holding her to him.

The only light in the kitchen was the pale moonlight from the window. A love song was playing from someone's phone as they swayed barefoot across the cold kitchen tiles. As Jack kissed the top of her head, he was conscious of the fact that his cheeks hurt from smiling.

For some reason, he felt the need to touch her stomach. Just beginning to round and become taut, he felt weak at the idea of creating something as precious as a life with her.

Then they were lying in bed; their bed. She was smiling, the sunshine illuminating the mussy curls of her white-gold hair. Between them was a small girl with her hair in distressed braids. Somehow Jack knew that she had his eyes, and laugh of her mother. Reaching carefully over the child, he brushed the hair from Elsa's eyes. She turned to his hand, kissing his open palm.

"I can't wait," she said into his skin. "To spend another day with you."

Yet, she was crying.

"Jack," The voice was far, Elsa and the girl fading to pink, lilies, and drops of water. "Jack, wake up."

It wasn't her. With a snort, he rubbed his eyes and sat up, staring into the face of a plump nurse holding a clipboard. She looked perplexed, as though he was some god awful creature. If she was sustaining herself on as little sleep as he had had, Jack assumed she would look the same.

"Yes?" he said.

"A girl named Elsa is sitting in the main waiting room. She told me to find you here." The woman gestured for him to follow and Jack did so. Winding through the halls, he was thankful to leave the emergency ward. This waiting room had a lot more people and they didn't look as somber.

But he could care less about them. The one he wanted was sitting across the way, wringing her hands on a paper tissue as she stared blankly out the window.

"Elsa," Jack said her name softly, but her head turned. She only had to see him from the corner of her eye to stand and run across the room. Right before Elsa reached him, she leapt into the air, landing on him so that he had to put one foot behind to catch their weight. Her arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders, her legs around his hips. In her hands Elsa held bunches of his hoodie and her face was against his neck.

"Elsa," he whispered as he clutched her back, the memory of her hair in the sunshine swimming in his mind's eye. "I missed you."

"I know." She whispered.

"I had an amazing dream about you. I mean, about us, really. Is that weird?"

She pulled her face from his neck so she could look him in the eye. Although she was smiling, her cheeks were shimmering with tears.

"Why are you crying?" Jack asked. "Are you sad?"

Elsa leaned in, pressing her cool forehead against Jack's. "Not today."

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry for the shortness. New job is cray, but I didn't want to leave the cliffhanger for too long.


End file.
